


The Violin That Started it Again

by Loving_Healer



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fanfiction, Fantasy, Heroes of Olympus, HoO - Freeform, M/M, Nico di Angelo - Freeform, PJO, Percico - Freeform, Romance, Sequel, percy jackson - Freeform, pernico - Freeform, the violin that started it again, the violin that started it all
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-16
Updated: 2018-07-24
Packaged: 2019-02-03 04:40:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 42
Words: 71,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12741195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Loving_Healer/pseuds/Loving_Healer
Summary: [[Completed]] [[High School AU]] [[Percico]]Sequel to "The Violin That Started it All." Spoilers ahead, so don't read on unless you've read the first book....Percy struggles with his break-up with Nico and how lonely he was without Nico. Percy knows Nico wouldn't forgive him for what he did, and he wouldn't know what Calypso would do if he left her. Would he try to convince Nico to date him again? Would Nico even agree to such an idea?





	1. Part 3) Prologue

You guys are probably thinking: "Wow, what a dick he is."

And, seriously, I agree with you guys, and it's not because I  _do_  have a dick. I can prove I have one, I swear.

But, I pretty much am a traitor, a cheater, a liar, or whatever you want to call me. Why can't I ever keep promises? It's hard to keep a promise to someone and go through with it for the rest of your life. But, not keeping a promise to the one that I love? That's just messed up...

And yes, person who is currently reading my life (how creepy), I didn't say "loved." I said "love." You know why? It's because I still love Nico. I still love my Ghost King, my Shadow Prince, and the nickname that he told me to give him: Sexy.

Everything that I'm about to tell you is a flashback. Do you remember what Nico said at the very beginning of his story? He said:

_"But, all of this was true. Why is it past tense, you ask? Well, that's because it's different now. My father is now dead. I live with my boyfriend, Percy Jackson, who happened to take my virginity. I live with Percy's mother and father, Sally and Paul Blofis, and Percy's younger brother, Tyson Jackson. I get a lot of attention at school and all the people that used to bully me pretty much worship the ground I walk. I find it hilarious how this all happened. Apparently, that one percent of my life getting better happened, and now look where I got myself."_

Did he ever say that a bad ending was going to happen? No, he said that his life got better. And, mine did too when I met Nico for the first time at  _Miles Square Park_. Yeah, I still remember the name of the park, and when Nico told me the name of the park on July 23rd. I mean, why wouldn't I remember that? Every second I spent with Nico was the most treasured time I've ever experienced. And, I would've  _especially_  remembered the name of the place where I first met the person that I never wanted to let go.

And, now I feel as if you guys are thinking: " _Psh_ , are you kidding?! You totally let the fucking guy go, you asshole!"

God, you guys are seriously damn mean to me, you know? Wow, I got a lot of my cursing habits from Nico, huh?

Well, anyway, on the topic again. Nico didn't have a  _bad_  ending. He just decided to end his story on the part where I cheated on him. Yeah, no biggie Nico. Just let  _everyone_  think that I'm a cheater. Oh, yeah, no big deal.

God, did I inherit Nico's sarcasm too? I guess this is what happens when you spend too much time with the person that you love. I mean, I really like Nico's sarcasm, just throwing that out there. And, no, I do not liter. Look, I know I said that I'm throwing it out there. Okay, let's just, get back onto topic.  _Again_.

Nico left you guys a bad impression of me. I know I did some wrong things in my life, but what Hannah Montana said: "Nobody's perfect." And, no, Miley Cyrus did not say it, Hannah Montana did. They're  _obviously_  different people. Guys, calm down, I was just kidding.

Okay, look, just give me a chance and read my side of the story. Maybe I'll throw a bit of Annabeth's side of the story in somewhere since she was with Nico a whole lot.

I swear, I'm not a dick. I mean, I  _have_  a dick, but I'm  _not_  a dick.

You gave Nico a chance to read how his life became better, right? Why can't you give me a chance and read my story?

Look, it wasn't as if I was happy without Nico as I dated Caly. No, I was probably the most messed-up guy on Earth. I'm surprised my parents didn't make an appointment with a psychologist or something.

I hated my life without Nico. I fucked up big time, and not in the sexual way. My life seemed totally... _off_  without my Ghost King. Falling asleep without him in my arms and waking up to his perfect face that he thought was imperfect was such a minor, everyday thing that I did, but when it disappeared, I didn't know what I would do. I almost lost it; I almost lost myself.

Every single time I got a chance to seeing Nico, I could tell that he was suffering too, but it was even worse than me. He hates relying on people, but ever since the break-up that I just hate talking about, he has had to rely on the friends that ditched me and went to help him. And, frankly, I was thankful that they left me. Firstly, I deserved it, and secondly, Nico would break and lose it more than me if he didn't have anyone to help him. He hated people's sympathy, and I knew that my friends that left me knew that too. I mean, he could've fucking  _died_. And, if he died, then I probably would have too.

It was even harder seeing Caly. I knew what Nico felt like whenever he gave someone a fake smile. I knew what Nico felt like whenever he had to lie to someone. I was never a guy to hurt someone on purpose unless they threatened somebody that I loved. Before, in the Summer, Caly said the shittiest things about Nico and why I should've dated her instead. That's why, at the movie theater, I called him "my boyfriend" instead of "Nico."

In fact, it hurt me whenever I saw someone else instead of Caly. My heart always twisted in guilt and despair whenever I saw soft, dark brown hair, dark clothing, and gorgeous, dark brown eyes when I looked at Caly.

I ruined him; I broke him. I missed holding him in my arms and kissing him on his lips. I missed joking around with him and playing video games on the PS3 in my house and his new house. I missed his real and genuine smiles that I brought back to him. I missed every day I spent with him, from the day we met to the day where he began to ignore me.

I couldn't take it anymore. And, after all the heartbreaks that Nico gave me whenever I tried to get him to date me again but he threw the idea down, he finally gave in one fortunate day. He was the same whenever I met him: he was emotionless, and whenever he actually managed to smile, it followed with a depressed expression. And, it hurt even more to know that  _I_  was the one that caused the sad look on his face.

Well, anyway, why don't you go ahead and read my side of the story this time? And, don't worry, it'll get better, for you and me.

And this time, I promise, and I  _mean_  it this time.


	2. Part 3) Chapter One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if I made Calypso the bad person. I didn't know who else to use; I couldn't just use Annabeth again because she already had Luke and she would definitely not betray Nico.
> 
> And, sorry again if Silena's kind of out of character in this chapter. I seriously did not know how write Silena when she was angry. All I wanted from her was another side of her to appear that no one had ever seen before, but it seems soooooo OOC.

"What the  _fuck_ , Percy!" Silena screamed at me. I was too frozen in shock to even process what was happening. Did  _Silena_ just  _curse?_

Shit...what did I do?

Silena whirled around and attempted to get Nico back, but he resisted. I could see him slightly shaking, and I just wanted to hold him in my arms and comfort him. But, could I even do that anymore?

Wait,  _could_ I even do that anymore? Could  _I_ do that anymore?

The realization hit me like a ton of bricks that was supposed to hit Jason instead of me. Did I just...did Nico just...

"Nico!" Silena screeched in Nico's way, but he ignored her. I wanted to yell out too, but my voice failed me. Why couldn't I just yell out to him? Why did I just stand there and watch him leave?

Caly's hand on my wrist tightened, and I couldn't tell whether she was guilty, pitiful, or just incredibly happy that the break-up happened right in front of her god damn face.

My fists were shaking as if I wanted to move, but something was holding me back. The two things that processed in my mind were the sky getting darker, and a hot, stinging pain on the side of my face.

I gritted my teeth in pain and looked to see who would ever slap me. And the only person who  _could've_ seen what I just did was Silena.

"What the  _fuck_ , Percy!" She screamed in my face as if she didn't care if I became deaf or not. I probably deserved more than being just deaf from what I just did.

Tears streaked Silena's face as if  _she_ was the one I...I don't want to admit it, so I won't.

"Why, Percy?!  _Why?!_ " Her voice became a higher pitch with each word she said.

I hurriedly stuttered, "I-I just-"

"You  _what_ , Percy?! You  _what?!"_ Fury swirled in Silena's sky blue eyes. My eyes found the area behind Silena's head, but the person I wanted to see was no longer there.

"Look," Caly started, who seemed perfectly calm during the situation, "it's not-"

"Oh, it fucking is you  _bitch!_ " Silena screamed, her venomous glare became directed at Caly instead. " _You're_  the one that got him to kiss you in the  _first_ place! And  _you._ " She jabbed her index finger harshly into my chest. "Don't you already know that you love Nico?" Her voice faded into barely a whisper when she said his name. My vision was blurred with tears as every single memory with him was replayed in my mind when she said his name.

My fists became so tightly together that my fingernails dug into the palms of my hands.

Silena didn't have anything else to say, and Caly didn't bother to say any kind of retort either. Silena just ran as fast as she could in the direction that... _he_ went in. Saying his name - even if it was  _just_ his name - was too overwhelming for me. There were so many emotions that I held whenever I said his name from before we were friends to just yesterday.

Why did the Fates have to curse me like this? They could've done  _anything_ else. I would've gotten over  _everything_.  _Everything, anything_ but  _this_. I moved on from Annabeth because I actually, truly loved him. But, Caly? Did I even love her, or was it just because of the words she said the day of my birthday?

* * *

**[[FLASHBACK]]**

* * *

_A phone started to ring and everyone glanced around the room to see where it came from._

_I chuckled nervously, glancing at my phone's screen after I got it out of my pocket. "I'll be right back then." I got up from my seat on the couch, ruffled Nico's hair, and exited through the front door. I could feel everyone's eyes on my back until the door clicked, signaling that it was closed._

_I was outside and the sun was setting, making the sky a gorgeous mixture of orange, blue, dark blue, and pink._ _And, standing in front of me was none other than Calypso_ _Ogygia._

_"What do you want?" I asked a bit too impatiently, leaning against the closed door._

_She glanced down at the ground, suddenly taking interest in her black flip flops with jewels aligning them. She wore a sleeve-less, white dress that sparkled a bit if she stood in the sunlight. Her hair was over one shoulder, and her dark almond eyes were scanning the ground as if looking for an answer._

_Sure, I had to admit she was a pretty girl, and this girl could've gotten whatever guy she wanted, but she just_ had  _to try and get_ me _. I already had Nico, and it was just plain unfair if I left him because she was pretty, seaweed brain or not. Especially after all of the insults she had said before about Nico, I_ definitely  _didn't want to_ touch  _her._

_"I just...wanted to say sorry," she murmured, her eyes still facing down._

_I glared at her - something that I rarely did to people. "Look at me," I demanded._

_She hesitantly glanced up at me with frightened eyes as if she was caught doing something she had never done before. "I'm...sorry," she whispered._

_My gaze softened a little bit, but I still looked at her as if I didn't care what happened to her at all. "For what?"_

_Caly took a deep breath, before exhaling. "For...for everything." Her eyes found the ground, but she soon glanced up at me and making eye contact with a new set of determination. "I'm sorry about everything, from the way I treated Nico and from the way I tried to make you date me. I'm sorry for trying to force you to do things that you refused to do. I mean..." her voice suddenly faltered, "...I could obviously tell that you...love him and all..."_

_I shut my eyes and sighed, before reopening them. My shoulders weren't as tense anymore from waiting for some kind of insult about_ my  _Ghost King. My eyes didn't hold a permanent glare and my lips didn't have a permanent scowl anymore._

_"So, since you can't have me, what are you going to do?" I asked her, breaking the silence that settled in between us._

_"I..." Caly trailed off with a frown as if beginning to think of what she would do. "I guess I'll just become friends with you." She sighed. "I talk to Annabeth a bit, and she always talked so much about you when you guys were dating. There were so many things about you that I just...fell in love with you without even actually_ seeing  _you. The mere mention of your name made my heart beat much faster than before._

_"When I heard you guys broke up, I thought that someone up there was trying to give me a chance at love with you. From Annabeth's description of you, I kind of already had an idea of what you looked like, and then I found you. 'Stunning, emerald green eyes and a permanent smile upon those addicting lips with a bit of a twinkle in his eyes. Messy, sea-swept black hair that looked as if he stood on the beach for hours for it to stay like that.' That was Annabeth's description of you when you guys were dating, and her description is actually pretty accurate._

_"But, my heart broke when I realized that it wasn't a chance at love with you. I was so surprised that you already moved on from her that fast because when I found you, there was_ Nico  _at your side. I didn't know what to think of it. Were you..._ gay  _or_ bisexual _?_

 _"I didn't want to accept that fact - just seeing you in person made my heart race so fast. Everything that Annabeth said about you_ _echoed in my mind, and as I saw you more and more - as if you were haunting me - the descriptions of you from Annabeth were just so..._ accurate _. I couldn't help it. I_ wanted  _you, and I_ wanted  _you to love me back just like how you do to Nico._

_"So I tried, and I failed. You loved him so much that you didn't care what gender he was or anything. You didn't care if I called him an 'emo loner.'"_

_My hands became tight fists at this part, but Caly didn't notice, and she continued talking._

_"You still dated him, you still stayed with him no matter what. I didn't want to accept the fact that you didn't love me as much as you love Nico, or perhaps even_ more  _than your love for Nico. I didn't want to give up, but I could tell that anything else that I tried would be useless. So," Calypso sighed, "I gave up, and now I'm apologizing, so, I'm sorry."_

_My eyes widened slowly throughout her long explanation. I had no idea Caly actually knew about me because of Annabeth, and I actually had no idea how much she loved me until now._

_Was my heart beating really fast, or was it just me?_

_"Percy?" Caly asked hesitantly, waving a hand in front of my face at a reasonable distance. Caly was smart; I could give her that._

_I blinked blankly, before doing something that was so automatic that I was surprised I did it as well._

_I_ kissed  _her, and not some simple, friendly/sympathetic kiss on her cheek or forehead, oh no. It was a kiss - a passionate kiss to be exact - on her_ lips _. I didn't know why I did it at the time, but it just felt comforting to me._

_Caly's shoulders were tense, and she didn't respond to the kiss until I placed my hands on her shoulders and she relaxed. She kissed me back just as equally, pressing her body up against mine and wrapping her arms around my neck - something that I knew someone did very often when he kissed me back._

_When we pulled apart for air, Caly was crying, but she was also smiling._

_"I never thought...that you would do that from the_ actual  _story of how I discovered you." Caly grinned._

 _I smiled at her, despite the guilt that settled into my heart and the feeling that I had to throw up on the spot. Was this how Nico always felt whenever he had to give someone a fake smile? Because I could never live my whole life giving fake smiles. How did Nico even do it for_ five years _?!_

_"I'm gonna go inside, okay?" I told her, and she nodded, unwrapping her arms from around my neck and pulling her body away from mine._

_When I closed the door behind me, I could feel everyone's stare in the living room on me again._

_But, I just couldn't help but avoid eye contact with Nico from the events that happened just a few seconds ago._

* * *

**[[END OF FLASHBACK]]**


	3. Part 3) Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to kill you guys with feels using scenes from The Violin That Started it All as flashbacks and nightmares for Percy in the upcoming chapters. MUAHAHAHAHA.

Silena was gone, and so was he. I couldn't even take in the fact that he was  _gone._ Gone, and I didn't do anything to stop it. I just looked ahead and watched him go like the idiot I was without even trying to stop him.

Caly placed her hand on my arm, but I moved it away, keeping my gaze on the spot where I last saw him.

"I'm...sorry..." Caly whispered, and it made my blood boil.

" _Sorry?!_ " My head snapped toward her as a furious glare was directed where she was. She cringed, but I didn't care. She fucking  _deserved_ it.

"You  _insulted_ him. You  _glared_ at him. You  _mocked_ him. You  _wanted_ him to get away from  _me_  and now that he's gone you're fucking  _sorry?!_ " I yelled at her, but she didn't do anything. She glanced down at the ground with a pitiful expression on her face. The ground didn't need any pity, and neither did I.

I stormed away, leaving Caly to do whatever she wanted. I didn't care anymore. I wanted Nico back. But, I didn't know where to start.

I knew him well. He was the person I loved the most - I didn't even love my parents as much as I loved him. He was  _everything_ to me. But, now he's just  _gone_. Just like that, it was over.

Why was I so  _stupid?_ Why did I have to go and let myself go to Caly? After everything,  _everything_ she said about Nico, I  _kiss_ her?  _Why did I do that?_

I scanned the area in front of me. I knew Nico would purposely pick a place that I wouldn't know where because Nico was smart and I wasn't. So, obviously, Nico knew that the first place I would check was the school field. And unfortunately, he wasn't here.

* * *

I checked the whole school. Every classroom and every hallway. I would've checked the roof, but I knew that he was afraid of heights, and so was I. He would rather stay underneath the ground then be up high. I would rather be underwater than the sky or the ground.

I didn't care what everyone thought. They could stare at me weirdly, but I wouldn't do anything about it. I knew people considered me as "popular," but from then on, nothing was in my mind except for finding him again. For apologizing my heart out. For telling him how much I love him. For telling him how big of an impact he had on me. For telling him how much I  _needed_ him.

My heart was beating fast and my body was shaking as if it were cold. I just wanted to give up, drop onto the ground, and cry until I could no longer produce any tears.

I wasn't this sad over the break-up with Annabeth. But this...this was different. I  _cheated_ on him. I could've told him about the kiss and said to him that I didn't mean it at all. But, why didn't I do that?  _Why?_ did I have to go and screw everything up?

I felt sorrow, regret, guilt, and  _fear_. What would happen once I faced him? Say " _sorry?_ " I already knew he would  _never_ forgive me. What was I going to do? I promised him.

_I promised him that I would stay with him forever. Why did I break it?_

"Percy?"

I stopped in my tracks. I didn't even know where I was or what was happening. Was I still even at school?

I didn't bother turning around; tears were already falling down my cheeks and I didn't want the other person to see.

"Yeah?" I tried to sound as casual as possible, but I could tell I wavered a bit. I rubbed my palm down my face as if I was tired, but I was really just trying to wipe the tears away.

"The bell rang." I could tell the speaker now. It was Jason.

"Isn't your Calculus class the other way?" Jason finished.

"Uh, yeah. Sorry about that." I faked a chuckle, and it fucking  _hurt_ to lie to my friend. Was this how Nico always felt when he lied to someone he knew?

I planned to turn around and walk as briskly as possible away from Jason, but a hand caught my shoulder.

"Percy, you seem a bit... _off_ ," Jason remarked. "What happened?"

I shook my head, avoiding eye contact at all costs. I hoped my eyes didn't look red.

"Nothing, don't worry." A smile appeared on my face, but I knew it didn't reach my eyes. "The bell rang. Don't you want to get to class before you become late, Golden Boy?"

Jason's firm hands grasped each of my shoulders. "Percy, look at me."

I gritted my teeth, and I could tell Jason noticed. My sight was becoming blurred with tears, and I clenched my fists together so hard that my nails dug painfully into my skin. But, physical pain was better than psychological pain.

"Percy." Jason's voice was dangerously calm.

A tear slipped down onto the ground, but I didn't bother saying anything. I stayed silent, and soon, Jason's grip fell from my shoulders as the bell rang for the end of the passing period.

Jason heaved a sigh. "Looks like we're late now. Percy, you better hurry onto class since your class is across the school. I'll...talk to you later, Perce." He patted me on the shoulder and sprinted toward his history classroom.

My eyes finally left the ground as I stared at back at Jason's retreating form that soon disappeared around the corner.

_Should I even bother going to class?_ I asked myself in my mind.  _I don't want to go. I don't want to go...What's the use of going if I can't see him anymore?_

I glanced up at the sky. The sun was shining brightly up in the sky as if mocking my own feelings. As if trying to tell me that everyone was having a great day but me.

Maybe it wasn't only me. Maybe it was Nico too.


	4. Part 3) Chapter Three

**Annabeth Chase**

* * *

It was lunch time. I was sitting with everyone else now. I got over my break-up with Percy, so I was fine being around him and all, although sometimes it would get awkward if we were left alone. But, whenever I brought up some topic involving Nico, Percy's expression seemed to brighten the more he talked about him. I was glad they were doing well together. It seemed as if they would last forever. Their relationship was  _definitely_ better than my relationship with Percy, that was for sure.

"Hey," Jake started. "Where's Percy and Nico?"

Everyone glanced around, but neither of them were to be seen.

"I...don't know," Will answered with furrowed eyebrows.

"Percy was acting a bit different this morning, so maybe he went somewhere to be alone?" Jason suggested.

"Different? What do you mean by 'different'?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, you know how he had Calculus in the morning?" Jason asked, and we all nodded. "Well, he was walking in the opposite direction of the math building. I told him that the bell rang and his class was in the other direction. He laughed it off and apologized, but it seemed a bit..."

"Strained?" I offered.

Jason nodded slowly. "Yeah, it was a bit strained. The weird thing was, he wouldn't look up at me. His gaze eyes were always on the ground. And, I found it weird how he was alone."

"Nico wasn't with him?" Piper questioned.

Jason shook his head. "No, not at all."

"Maybe something happened this morning and Nico went to comfort him during lunch," Miranda suggested. "I mean, everyone has bad days, right?"

"That could be true," Malcolm agreed.

"Comfort him with what?  _More_ public sex?" Leo asked with a smirk across his face. "Nico can be a bit too horny.  _Oh_ sophomores..."

Frank rolled his eyes. "Really Leo?"

Leo shrugged. "Hey, it could happen! Percy can't control all of those hormones, and from what we've heard of their dates, Nico can't control them either. Except, I don't remember Percy getting so...out of control with Annabeth." He looked my way and smirked, resulting in a roll of my eyes.

"But Silena isn't here either," Beckendorf pointed out. Everyone glanced around once again, but Silena was nowhere to be found.

"Okay, now that's... _weird_ ," Will commented.

"It is," Hazel agreed with a perplexed expression.

"Maybe she went to go find them on her own?" Katie suggested.

"Maybe, but if we're following Leo's idea..." Malcolm trailed off.

"Wait, you guys actually  _agree_ with me?!" Leo exclaimed. "Best day ever!"

Jason rolled his eyes and smacked Leo upside the head. "Just be quiet, Leo."

"Ow!" Leo cried, rubbing his head. "Just for your information, that  _hurt!_ "

"Information?" I mused. "Biggest word you've ever used."

"Well, gee,  _thanks_." Leo rolled his eyes. "All I know is that Nico's longest word isn't an actual word. Percy should know."

There was a long silence that fell before us until our dirty and perverted minds kicked in. Jason smacked Leo on the back of his head and he yelped.

"Leo, don't say that ever again," Jason informed, but I could see the slightest trace of a smile.

"Hey, you guys got it, didn't you?" Leo laughed.

"We did," Will answered. "And I must say, that was pretty funny."

"Right?" Leo chuckled.

I rolled my eyes and stood up. "I'm going to go find Nico."

"No Silena and Percy?" Jake asked.

"I see some love starting to blossom between Annabeth and Nico, don't you think?" Leo's smirk grew wider as he wiggled his eyebrows.

I rolled my eyes and hit Leo on top of his head, making him groan.

"Why do you guys keep hitting me today?" Leo whined.

"Because you deserve it," Jason and I said simultaneously, making both of us laugh in unison.

Leo stared with wide eyes between the two of us. "Remind me to not be alone with you two."

"No promises." I laughed before leaving the group to find Nico. He always managed to find me whenever I was alone, so maybe I could manage to find him too.

* * *

He wasn't at the tree in the school field where I originally thought he would be. But I wasn't about to give up just yet. I  _never_ gave up, and I had a few other places that I could guess where Nico was.

At our school, you were allowed to leave campus for lunch if you were a junior or a senior. If he was with either Silena or Percy, he would've been able to sneak out with them, since both of them were seniors. If I were to guess where he would be if he wanted to be alone with either Silena or Percy or even  _both_ o f them, it would be someplace quiet. Nico  _despised_ being around people, so if he wasn't at the school field, I doubted he would've been anywhere else around the school.

I smiled to myself and sighed, glancing up at the light blue sky. I knew a place that Nico would've gone to, and I would bet anything that he was there. Being smart had a lot of benefits.

* * *

Miles Square Park. A typical place for Nico to pick. We once came here during the summer with Percy and Silena to hang out. I expected that Nico would be here again, at the tree in the far corner of the park. Wow, Nico  _really_ liked being under a tree in the shade. Nico did seem the type of guy to favor the dark.

I walked over to the far corner in the very back of the park, making sure to scan my surroundings to see if Nico picked some other place to be at.

When I heard "It's going to be okay, Nico," I knew I was going in the right direction. But I was a bit confused. Why would Nico need any comforting in the first place? According to Jason,  _Percy_ was the one who was having a bad day.

I stopped in front of the tree to a sight that I didn't imagine would happen. Percy was nowhere to be found, but Silena and Nico were there, both of them sitting on the grassy ground. She glanced up at me with her crystal blue eyes. She looked so depressed, but it was  _nothing_ compared to how Nico probably felt.

He was right next to Silena. His back was to the tree and he was sitting with his legs pulled up to his chest. His arms wrapped around his knees and his face was buried in his arms so that I couldn't see his face at all.

My eyes widened and I glanced at Silena for an answer. My heart pounded in my chest and I didn't want to know why Nico was like this. And the thing that kept nagging me in the back of my head was the fact that Percy wasn't even in sight.

She gently took her hand off of Nico's back and came up to me, softly whispering something that I would've  _never_ surmised.

"Percy cheated on Nico," she whispered to me.


	5. Part 3) Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All I have to say is: Bless Silena for her existence in this fanfiction.

**Annabeth Chase**

* * *

I was frozen in my spot. Silena backed away and gave me a worried look before glancing back at Nico and kneeling in front of him.

How could this have even happened? When did this happen? And who was it that Percy went to instead?

Wait, was it...Caly?

Ever since Percy broke up with me, Caly was a classmate that I talked to in my psychology class. She asked me if I was dating Nico since I seemed to spend a lot of time with him, but had I told her that  _Percy_ was dating Nico.

I could tell that she was  _devastated_  by that, but she did well to try and hide it. I told her a lot of things about Percy, and I guessed she became infatuated with him without even meeting the guy.

Percy and I had English class together. He told me that this girl asked him out one day, but of course, he denied it. But ever since then, that girl would keep coming back to try and ask him out. And one day, she criticized Nico. Percy looked so... _furious_ when he explained it to me. His hands were balled into fists and he was shaking from anger. He seemed to glare at nothing in particular as he told me:

_"She called him a_  faggot.  _Told me that he didn't deserve someone 'as great as I was.' She said he was emo, a loner, and a bastard. All he wants from me is attention. Why do I even bother with some guy like him? Just leave him for a few days, and he'll eventually find some other guy to go to for attention. He doesn't look like the kind of guy that seems trustworthy. Does he even care for you? I just wanted to punch her and make her suffer. Make her suffer just as much as Nico did before I met him."_

I knew from then how much Percy loved Nico. His love for Nico was  _so_ much greater than his love for me before, but I was happy for Nico. After he told me about his past before he met us, he deserves someone special, someone to  _love._

But I was so confused. Why did Percy cheat on Nico if he loved him so much? It didn't make sense to me. I thought I was intelligent enough to figure it out, but this was too confusing for me. It was hard to try and figure out why someone did something—even if you knew the person very well. The only choice was to ask Percy himself. I wonder if Percy would even be willing to talk about it.

I glanced at Nico. He refused to look anywhere other than the darkness that formed from the lack of light where his head was shoved into his knees, his arms wrapping around them to keep him in a fetal position.

"Did you guys just get out here?" I asked Silena, breaking the silence.

Silena shook her head. "We've been here before school even started. I told Nico I'd ditch school with him to comfort him."

Nico finally took his head out of the crevice he made with his arms and knees, and I almost gasped in shock. His eyes were bloodshot and I could see dried tear tracks that made trails down his cheeks. He looked so... _broke_ _n_. He looked so  _los_ _t_ —as if he didn't even know what to do anymore. It was as if he just gave up on  _everything._  He looked so horrible, and the worst part was that it hadn't even been a full day. Imagine leaving Nico like this for a week. Actually, I  _didn't_  want to imagine it.

"I told you, Silena." Nico's voice sounded weak as well, matching the broken glimmer in his dark brown eyes. "You didn't have to come with me anyway."

"You asked me what I would do if you left, didn't you?" Silena smiled softly at Nico. "I told you, Nico, you're my best friend! I'm  _not_ leaving you anytime soon after everything that happened to you before."

Nico stared at her with wide eyes and slightly parted lips.

I kneeled down so that I was eye level with him. I patted his shoulder, and he glanced at me, his bewilderment disappearing.

"I agree with Silena, Nico." I smiled reassuringly at him. "You deserve some friends, too. Silena and I will be there for you."

"Yeah!" Silena exclaimed with a bright smile on her face, swinging an arm around my shoulders. "Remember, Nico, 'chicks before dicks,' am I right?"

Nico's eyebrows shot up, and I knew he remembered Silena saying that to him a few months ago.

I chuckled. "Exactly as Silena said, Nico. 'Chicks before dicks.' We'll always be there for you."

"Don't worry, Nico! We'll help you out!" Silena grinned at the two of us. "In fact, we all should do something together to cheer you up!" She directed at Nico.

I arched an eyebrow. "Like what exactly?"

Silena frowned, her eyebrows furrowing as she became deep in thought. Then, her expression brightened.

"We can have a sleepover on Friday!" She suggested cheerfully. "What do you guys think?"

I shrugged. "Whatever you want, Silena." I glanced at Nico. "How about you?"

Nico looked as if he was going to deny, but Silena spoke up first.

"I'm bringing him no matter what! I mean, the whole point of this sleepover is to cheer him up," she remarked.

"You're staying with Percy, aren't you?" I asked with furrowed eyebrows.

He shook his head. "Silena suggested I take some of my belongings and move in with her."

I chuckled, glancing at Silena. "That was nice of you."

"Hey, I have a guest room that he could use," Silena said. "And anyway, my parents are on vacation for who-knows-how-long."

I shrugged. "I guess that would do for now. Hey, Nico?"

He raised an eyebrow in my direction, waiting patiently for me to continue.

"You're always welcome at my house too, okay? I'll be there whenever you need me," I finished.

Silena nodded vigorously beside me. "Me too. Don't be afraid to wake me up at night if you need me."

Nico took a sharp intake of breath. "Thanks...guys," he muttered, but it was loud enough for both Silena and me to hear.

"You're always welcome." I smiled at him, and he nodded.

"School's going to start again soon," Silena informed me. "Are you going to go back?"

"I'd hate to leave you guys, but they already know that I'm at school." I stood up. "I would get detention this Saturday if I ditched now."

Silena's eyes widened as she gasped. "You can't! Our sleepover is from Friday to Sunday!"

I chuckled at that, and I could see Nico roll his eyes at the comment.

I nodded. "I know. I definitely won't miss that." I waved to them. "See you later, guys."

"Bye!" Silena exclaimed.

Nico only nodded in my direction as I turned around to go back to school.

There was something bothering me about the conversation. It wasn't the conversation  _itsel_ f, but it was something else.

During the whole conversation, Nico didn't smile  _once._ No smile, laughter, or  _anything_ came from him. It made my heart ache realizing that and thinking it over.

But, I came to a conclusion: Nico had reverted back to his old self. The person he was when I just met him. The person that rarely talked. The person that  _never_ smiled or laughed or anything like that. The person who seemed cold-hearted.

Nico had regressed back to that person—the very person that Percy had tried so hard to get rid of. And the saddest part of it was: Percy was the reason that this person came back.


	6. Part 3) Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The event that takes place in this chapter happens exactly at the same time as the event in the last chapter. It's just a different person now.

**Percy Jackson**

* * *

It was lunch now. I wanted to avoid people as much as possible until I felt better. The problem was I didn't think I would  _ever_  feel better. This empty feeling... The silence... How did Nico get used to this? I couldn't handle it. I just felt too  _lonely_.

I glanced up at the baby blue sky. The sky seemed so peaceful to look at, but it wasn't enough to actually make me feel better.

I just wanted to close my eyes, and when I would reopen them, I would be in bed with Nico in my arms. It would've all been just some terrible nightmare.

If only it were like that... If only it could've been that  _easy_.

I wanted to disappear from the world. I wanted to drown in the memories that I had with Nico. I wanted to live through all of those memories with Nico, but I knew that if I did, it'd only make the pain worse. My heart would ache more than it did now. The pain I felt was unbearable. I couldn't handle it. I just wished that Nico would come over and tell me to wake up. To wake up from this horrid nightmare. But I knew that wouldn't happen.

Why was I so  _stupid?_

I still could've been together with him. He could've been sitting on my lap, with the rest of my friends surrounding me as we laughed and joked about something stupid that Leo most likely brought up.

But no, I just  _had_  to mess it all up like the idiot I was.

I just gave him  _empty promises_. I told him I would be with him forever. I told him that I would never stop loving him. I told him that he wouldn't have to worry about me not loving him anymore. Nico...he...he  _believed_  me. He took my every word and kept it close to his heart. And what did I do? I just trapped his feelings into a jar and made him slowly suffer the more I talked to her. The more I talked to  _Caly_ ** _._**

I always told myself that it was  _her_ fault that this all happened. I always convinced myself that  _she_  was the one that purposely did this just so that she could date me. All of the words that she used to insult Nico with were just the same as insulting  _me_. But why? Why did I have to go and  _kiss_  her? Why did I have to go and ruin  _everything?_

I heard footsteps and I glanced up. I didn't even notice when I started to look down at the ground in misery.

I saw curly blonde hair tied back into a tight ponytail.  _Annabeth_.

She was most likely looking for Nico. She had those intimidating gray eyes I used to be so madly in love with, with her eyes scanning the area as if she were looking for something or someone—which was, as I guessed before, Nico.

I already knew Nico so well, so I could already guess that he went to Miles Square Park. I mean, it would've been pretty bad if I didn't know my own...

Right, I can't call him that anymore because I fucking  _screwed it up!_

I unconsciously grasped the beaded necklace that Nico tied around my neck on my birthday—August 18th. The necklace that Nico gave me was my most treasured possession; if I lost it, it was as if Nico  _permanently_  left me. It would've been as if the only part of Nico that was kept inside my heart was just taken away from me.

Annabeth disappeared from my sight when she stepped off the campus. She probably had an idea of where Nico could've gone instead of just hopelessly looking at each centimeter of the school.

There was no one around me where I was. I really doubted that anyone would find me here. It was the very front of the school, but no one ever came here. The only reason why people came here was to go to their cars to drive somewhere to eat for lunch or something. But it wasn't as if people would turn around and look at the wall of the building as if they knew I was there. People usually just walked and talked along. I mean, seriously, I could've killed one of them, but the others would simply continue to walk and talk. It was just how distracted they were. You know, now that I think about it, I was like that too before I fucked up absolutely  _everything_  in my life.

I heard footsteps again and I thought it was Annabeth returning from wherever place that she went to in search of Nico.

I glanced upward, expecting to see intimidating gray eyes, but instead found light caramel eyes.

Of course, Calypso Atlas decided to come when I was thinking of negative thoughts about her.

"What do you want?" I growled at her with a glare sent in her direction. She sat down without a sound and, thankfully, it was a respectable distance away.

She glanced at me with sad eyes. "Look, I—"

"I don't even want to hear what you have to say to me," I cut her off.

She stopped, averting her gaze toward the ground. "I'm sorry," she whispered faintly, but I could still hear it loud and clear.

I shut my eyes and attempted to stop myself from shaking so violently. Caly had the  _nerve_ to  _apologize_ to me  _now_  of all times?!

I clenched my teeth together in anger. "Everything you said about him... Everything you did... And now that you've come to the result of everything you did you come and  _apologize?!_ " I was pretty much yelling by the end of the sentence, but it felt good.

She flinched, gluing her eyes to the ground and fiddling with her fingernails.

I sighed and leaned back against the building, running my hand through my hair.

"Look," I began to say, "If you don't have anything to say to me, then leave."

Her eyes shot up from the ground and landed on me. Her caramel eyes were wide, and they were full of fear.

"I—I want to help you," she stuttered. "I want...to help you get better. Mourning over this isn't going to do anything, right?"

I gulped, narrowing my eyes at her. "Yeah, I guess," I cautiously said. What was she trying to pull on me?

"Then, let me help you!" She pleaded, staring into my eyes. "I won't do anything, really."

I sighed, glancing onto the ground. I wanted  _someone_ to help me. At least there was  _someone_ would could take this pain away.

"Fine," I said through gritted teeth. I felt like I was going to regret this later on, but I wanted the pain to go away. Deep down inside, I wanted at least  _someone_ to help. To make me feel better. To return my personality from before.

I never actually suffered such a heartbreaking break-up. I mean, my first girlfriend was Annabeth. I was with her for a long time. Then, Nico came, and I fell in...

"Percy, are you okay?" Caly asked me with a concerned look.

The break-up that I had with Annabeth wasn't so bad because I had Nico. But maybe if I had someone else, the break-up with him wouldn't be as bad either.

I tore my eyes from the ground and stared straight at her. I could tell she was becoming nervous from me.

"W-What?" She hesitantly asked me.

"Do you love me?" I questioned her, and I was so surprised at how my voice sounded. It didn't sound  _sad_ or  _depressed_ anymore.

"W-Well," she stammered. She stopped, as if she were trying to think of a proper answer. "I-I do love you. But, I promise not to—"

I cut her off when I pushed my lips onto Caly's.


	7. Part 3) Chapter Six

**Percy Jackson**

* * *

I shut the door and the sound resonated throughout my house. My heart pounded in my chest even though the event happened two hours ago.

_What did I do?_

My head hurt as if I had a massive headache. My palms were sweaty, and I felt like breaking down right where I was in front of the entrance to the house and crying until I couldn't cry anymore. I felt like crying until the tears couldn't run down.

This day was just so fucked up. Why did this have to happen to me on the  _first_  day back to school? Actually, why did this day have to even  _exist?_ Why could this day just never come? Why  _me?_

_Why did I do it?_

Caly thinks we're fucking  _dating_ now and I was too afraid to deny it. Instead, I just watched her as she talked joyfully about how she never predicted that such a thing would happen to her. I never thought that such a thing would happen either.

_Then, why did I make it happen?!_

I'm such an idiot. I thought that maybe if I had someone else to love, the break-up would be assuaged. But,  _no._ It just got  _worse._

I felt  _horrible. Devastated_  even, and I have never even used that word. I just didn't even want to do anything anymore. I couldn't smile or laugh, or hug or kiss him anymore. I couldn't even  _see_ him normally like before because he's  _gone._ He's gone all because I was such a seaweed brain. He probably moved all of his stuff out of his room to go with someone else.

I shut my eyes and heaved a sigh, hoping that when I opened them up again, I would just be waking up from some terrible nightmare. But, unfortunately, I knew that wouldn't happen.

I slid my ocean-blue backpack off of my shoulders and onto the ground. Leaning my back against the front door, I reopened my eyes. Everything seemed so peaceful and quiet, which totally contradicted what I was  _actually_ feeling.

I wished that there was some way that I could fix this. Some way that I could reverse back into time and pretend that life was normal or at least  _try_  to prevent the break-up from happening in the first place. But,  _no_. I just  _had_ to be born an idiot.

"Percy? Are you home?" my mom's voice asked from the kitchen.

I snapped out of my thoughts. I blinked blankly before the question actually registered in my head.

"Y-Yeah, I'm home," I attempted to say as casually as possible, which failed miserably.

Sally's head poked out of the kitchen entrance and her eyes widened as she searched my face frantically.

"Percy! What happened to you?" In an instant, she was in front of me with a worried and concerned expression across her face. Her hands were placed on my shoulders.

"I'm fine, Mom!" I brushed the question aside while adding in a fake chuckle to add to the effect.

She glared at me—something that I had  _never_  seen before. Before, I couldn't even  _imagine_  my mom glaring, and I had never thought about it.

"Don't you  _dare_  lie to me, Mr. Jackson," she snapped. She soon exhaled deeply to calm herself. She offered a small, apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry, honey. You just  _never_  lie," she explained. "It seems so unusual to hear a lie coming from  _you_  of all people!"

I decided to ask, "How did you even know I was lying?"

Sally gave me a skeptical look. "I'm pretty sure that I would know my son well enough to know if he's telling the truth or not after seventeen years."

I shrugged at the explanation. "I guess that would make sense."

My mom rolled her eyes. "Of course it makes sense, Percy." She cleared her throat. "You  _almost_  succeeded in getting us off topic."

"Almost?"

"Almost," she repeated. "Percy, what's wrong?"

I sighed heavily. "There's nothing—"

"Honey," she frowned at me, "I already know that there's something wrong." She took her hands off of my broad shoulders. "If you ever want to talk about something, just remember that your mother is always available. Alright?" She smiled gently. "You can always talk to Paul too. Don't bottle it all up in yourself, Percy. Life will never end well like that, and if you keep it up for a long time, your heart will shatter more easily the more you don't share."

She began to walk back into the kitchen, but my mouth decided otherwise.

"You're not going to ask me where Nico is?" my mouth opened without my consent.

She whirled around with her eyebrows raised. "Percy, I asked you what was wrong because I have a feeling it involves Nico. You never go  _anywhere_  without him. That's why I was hoping you'd tell me the reason of Nico's disappearance."

I frowned and shifted my weight between my two feet. My gaze averted toward the ground and I shoved my hands into my pockets.

Sally seemed to notice my nervous demeanor because she stated, "If you're not ready, you don't have to tell me. It's your decision, Percy, not mine. I'm not trying to force it out of you, just remember that."

"Just like what you said," I murmured quietly, "the more I keep to myself, the worse I'll get, right?"

She caught my eyes with her gaze as she nodded.

"Do you want to sit down?" she offered me, gesturing to the dining table. "This might be a long story."

I nodded, offering her a small smile. I didn't want to worry my mom so much. I always felt as if I failed her after everything that she did to me to make me feel more happy and comfortable with life. I owed her  _a lot._

I sat down in the closest seat to me around the dining table, and my mom placed herself in the seat across from me. It felt as if I were about to be interrogated. Then again, this was kind of the same thing.

"You're not going to make me do my homework first?" I joked.

Sally chuckled, a bright smile across her face. "That can wait, Percy. Unless you want to do—"

"No, no, I'm fine, Mom," I quickly interrupted her statement, resulting in laughter originating from across the dining table.

She shut her eyes and exhaled deeply through her nose. When she reopened them, she had a serious look on her face—something that I rarely saw as well.

"So, Percy," she started. "What happened today?"

I gulped. It was going to hurt retelling the story and living through it all a second time. But, I couldn't just bottle it up and make my heart weaker with every secret I keep. I have to at least tell it to  _one_  person that exists in my life.

I twiddled my thumbs. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves down. What was about to happen was something that I didn't want to happen. My emotions were going to skyrocket soon, but there was no other way to explain it to her. Was this how Nico felt when he explained the day his sister and mother passed away?

I mentally shook my head, ridding the thought of Nico di Angelo. Thinking about him while retelling the events that occurred this morning would  _not_  be pretty.

"It all began this morning," I began to explain, "when I decided to talk to this girl named Caly."


	8. Part 3) Chapter Seven

**Percy Jackson**

* * *

I told my mom everything. From the day that Caly started to talk to me last year about wanting to date me to the event at lunch when I...

I didn't even want to  _think_ about what I did. I felt so  _guilty._ Even though I wasn't dating him anymore, I felt as if I were  _still_  betraying him. Then again, the whole reason as to why we broke up was because I betrayed him. I wish I never did. I wish I thought things through instead of acting so rash. I wish I kept chanting his name over and over inside my head whenever I talked to Caly.

My mom was silent for a while, letting my whole story sink in. She wasn't staring at anything in particular, and I had a feeling that she was either still trying to digest the words or she was trying to think of something comforting to say to me.

"Oh, Percy..." She trailed off, breaking the silence. She stared at me with sympathetic eyes. Her eyebrows were furrowed together in worry. "Your first harsh break-up. Percy, I know it's hard—"

" _Hard?_ " I repeated. "This is  _way_ harder than just that. I regret everything!" My voice was raising its volume. "I want him back. Hell, he would be here if I wasn't such an  _idiot_ this morning! I wouldn't even be having this conversation with you if I wasn't so  _stupid!_ "

_"Perseus Jackson_ ," my mom interrupted with a low, warning tone, "do  _not_ call yourself  _stupid_  ever again."

I gulped. I never heard my mom use such a serious and threatening tone in her voice. It, honestly, frightened me.

I took deep breaths to calm myself, but it wasn't working. My mind was racing. My heart was beating a million miles per hour. My gaze couldn't stay in one spot, and my hands kept twitching by my sides. I wanted to run. I wanted to hide from the world forever. I wanted to cry until the tears couldn't run down anymore.

"I'm sorry," I muttered quietly, and she nodded in front of me.

"Do you want me to go get Paul so you wouldn't have to explain this again?" Sally suggested, and I nodded in response. She took herself off of her seat and disappeared deeper into the household to find him.

A few moments later, my mom returned with Paul. I was guessing that she explained the situation to Paul because for the first time in  _years,_  Paul wasn't holding some form of literature in his hands. His eyebrows were already furrowed as if he were trying to interpret the situation, and I was pretty sure he was doing just that.

Sally placed herself back into her original seat and Paul took the chair next to her.

"How do you feel?" Paul questioned. It was probably the most ridiculous question to start off with for the conversation, but for some reason, I didn't know how to answer it.

"I..." I knit my eyebrows together.

Paul raised both of his eyebrows. "Well? How do you feel? I heard yelling just a few moments ago before Sally got me here. I'm guessing you feel angry?"

I nodded.

"Angry at whom? Nico? Caly?" He continued to interrogate.

I gritted my teeth. "Myself," I growled.

He nodded. "Why?"

Why?  _Why?_ Didn't he know  _why?!_ Why would he ask me such a  _stupid_ question like that?

"Why?" I asked quietly at first, but my voice became louder and louder the more words I spoke. "Why?  _Why? Why_ do I feel angry?!" I jumped up from my seat. "I  _cheated_ on him! I  _cheated_ on him with the girl who  _insulted_ him! I  _cheated_ on the love of my life! I promised him we would stay together! I  _promised_ him. He always doubted us, but I always told him that it'd be okay. Now look at us! I  _ruined_ him!" I was yelling by the end of my rant, but I still didn't feel done.

"What's happening, Brother?" I heard Tyson's innocent voice come from the hallway that led to the stairs.

"Honey, just go back upstairs, okay?" Sally soothed him from her spot in the dining room.

I heard footsteps fading away the more Tyson went up the stairs.

Sally glanced at me. "You should get some rest, Percy. It'll refresh you, so you won't have to stress over your homework, okay?"

I only nodded before making my way upstairs and slamming my bedroom door shut.

I didn't want to do anything. I didn't have enough motivation. My head was beginning to hurt, and it seemed like everything in my room irritated me.

I got into my bed, pulling up the covers so that it covered everything but my head and my arms. It seemed weird and unusual to think that Nico was sleeping in this same bed with me just last night. It felt like ages ago.

I shut my eyes, and when I drifted off to sleep, I had a feeling I was going to regret it.

* * *

_I was in a park with a few of my friends when I heard a violin start to play somewhere in the park._

_"Do you hear that?" Annabeth, my girlfriend, asked all of us._

_"It sounds so beautiful!" Silena gasped in awe. "I wonder who's playing it."_

_I smiled, releasing my grip from Annabeth. "I'm going to go check, okay guys?_

_They all nodded._

_"You are too obsessed with instrumental music," Annabeth teased me._

_I rolled my eyes. "Hey, blame my step-dad." I laughed before attempting to find the source of the beautiful piece of music._

_I ended up in the back of the park by a single tree when I found the source of the music. He was a bit shorter than me, but I couldn't tell because he was sitting on the ground. He dressed Goth-like. He had black clothing and chains hung down his jeans. The guy had long, dark brown hair that covered most of his face._

_I decided to wait until he was done playing his violin before I said anything. So instead I took in the wonderful music notes he made with the violin with each stroke of the bow against the four violin strings. I had never heard of such music, but it was beautiful._

_He finally finished, so I decided to say something._

_I smiled. "That was such beautiful music you played, by the way."_

_He stood up quickly and whirled around to face me. "Uh, what...are you doing here?"_

_"Well," I drawled, the small, friendly smile still on my face, "I was hanging out here at this park with some of my other friends after school, and we happened to hear your music. My friends aren't really a big fan of classical music, but my step-dad got me into it since he listens to it around the house all the time and whatnot. So, I decided to follow the music and see who was playing it. You play the violin really well. My step-father would love meeting you, you know?" My smile turned into a grin. "I'm_ _—_ _"_

_"Percy Jackson," he finished suddenly._

_My eyes widened as I stared at him I surprise. How did he know my name already? Have I met him before and I just didn't remember him? He_ definitely  _didn't look familiar to me._

_"How did you know my name?" I decided to finally ask, tilting my head slightly to one side and raising an eyebrow._

_He opened his mouth, but he closed it quickly. He was silent for a long time, but I didn't mind waiting._

_"Not important," he replied, glancing off to the side where his black violin case was on the grassy ground._

_I internally frowned. Not important? What did that mean? I was going to ask him, but it seemed like I was prying into his life. And that seemed pretty rude._

_So I decided to ask something else. "Alright, I guess. What's your name?"_

_He sighed. "Nico. Nico di Angelo."_

_"Nico?" I furrowed my eyebrows at the sound of his name. "I feel like I've heard that from somewhere. It sounds familiar to me. Nico di Angelo... Where have I heard that before?"_

_Nico raised an eyebrow. "I don't think you've ever heard of me. No one knows my name, except for my father and my teachers."_

_I still continued my puzzled expression._ Only  _his dad and teachers? What about his friends and the rest of his family? It would be kind of depressing if they didn't know his name though._

_"Well, why not?" I questioned him. "What about your friends and the rest of your family?"_

_I saw him tense up. "Not important."_

_I smirked at his reply. "You say that a lot to get out of conversations."_

_"Do I?" he replied, and I couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or not. "I don't have human interaction with people a lot, so I don't really know if I do that."_

_My quizzical expression returned. "Really? You're one confusing guy, Nico. How come you never talk to people?"_

_He shook my head. "Not important," he said for the millionth time._

_I rolled my eyes. Okay, if I were going to be honest, this "not important" stuff was_ really  _getting on my nerves._

_"Again with the 'not important' stuff. Oh well, guess I can't do anything about it. But, what was that song you were playing called?" I asked, changing the subject._

_Nico's lips tilted downward. "It doesn't have a name."_

_My head tilted sideways more as I slightly frowned. "Well, why not? Don't all songs have a title? I wanted to show my step-dad this music and tell him I found someone playing it on their violin at the park."_

_He sighed as if he were just done with our conversation that seemed to go absolutely nowhere. "I don't think you should do that. It's not very important. And, I kind of just made the song up in my head, so it doesn't have a real title."_

_My head shot up rapidly so that it was straight again. "Wait... You just made it up while you played?!"_

_"Yeah." He arched an eyebrow out of confusion. "What's so wrong about that?"_

_I shook my head, my surprised expression faltering. "Nothing, nothing. It's just, the song seemed like such a well-written song, but then I realized it's not written, and that you just made it all up in your head. That seems like it takes a lot of talent," I explained to him._

_"Not really," he drawled tiredly. "I play the violin like that almost every day."_

_"Really?" I bet I had an impressed expression on my face. A smile formed along my lips again. "Do you play here most of the time? I would love to bring my step-dad and introduce you to him."_

_Nico shook his head from side to side. "I don't like playing in front of people. I mean, sure I play in front of people at school, but that's different."_

_"Oh." My smile dropped. I was hoping to listen to Nico play the violin again. He was_ exceptionally  _good at playing it._

_"Do you want to become friends at least?" I asked with a hint of hope in my voice. "I would love to be friends with someone like you. You seem like such a nice, yet mysterious guy. I would love to know you more."_

_Nico frowned and sighed heavily. "I don't think you would want to become friends with someone like me."_

_I blinked blankly at him in confusion. "Well, why not?"_

_He brushed the question aside, responding with, "Not important."_

_I sighed, but a smile still remained on my face. "Of course you replied with the 'not important.' It's like, whenever I really want to know something about you, you say 'not important.' And hey, your last name's Italian. Does that mean you can speak Italian and stuff?"_

_Nico shrugged nonchalantly. "Yeah, but I was born in Maine."_

_"Oh that's cool," I commented as he bent down and began to put away his violin. "Are you sure you don't want to become friends with me? You mentioned earlier that you didn't have any friends. Well, you replied with 'not important,' but it's just a guess. Are you sure about it though?"_

_He shouldered his violin bag. "I'm positive. Bye, Percy."_

_I sighed, a disappointed look covering my face once more. "See you later Nico."_


	9. Part 3) Chapter Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know, I suck at writing emotions and stuff, so sorry if this chapter sucks.

**Percy Jackson**

* * *

My eyes shot open. It was dark now, and I couldn't see a thing in my room. My eyes began to try and adjust to the darkness as I thought about what I had just dreamed of.

I gulped. I turned around in my bed so that I was facing the wall now. I shut my eyes to stop any tears that threatened to fall. There wasn't any heat next to me. Nothing. No one was there when there was supposed to be a certain boy laying next to me. But guess what? He's  _gone_  for probably ever.

My teeth clenched tightly together and I gripped my blanket so hard that my knuckles turned white. I didn't want to cry. I had to be strong, didn't I? Don't let anything fall, Percy; don't let yourself fall.

I didn't want to think of what I dreamt. The time when I first met him. The first event that he and I shared together. It was when I finally discovered him and his potential to play the violin so well. I never knew he existed until that day, and I never knew how much  _pain_  I would be going through because of him from the breakup.

I was so amazed at how well he could play. I wanted to become friends with him so badly. The more he denied me, the more I wanted him. It was as if he were playing hard to get. I thought that I wouldn't see him ever again after that day, and it broke my heart. But here I was with an  _actual_  broken heart because I saw him again. And again. And again.

And again.

What would've happened to me if I never saw him again after that day? Would I still be with Annabeth?

My heart ached at the thought of me seeing Nico after that day in January. Everything that we have done together. Everything that I did to make him smile. Every secret he entrusted to me after knowing him for only a few days. None of that would've existed if Jason didn't stop Luke Castellan from beating him up. None of that would've happened if I didn't check to see who was playing the violin. None of it would have  _ever_  happened.

I turned around in my bed and shook my head, my eyes still shut. Stop thinking about it, Percy! Don't let any tears fall. Don't think about it. Don't let any fall and let yourself go back to sleep.

I forced my eyes open. I was laying at the very edge of the bed, so if I rolled anymore I would've fallen off. I missed dinner from that nap, but I didn't seem to feel hungry at all. I always ate a lot, so why didn't I feel the need to eat? Where did my appetite go?

I would've turned around or scooted closer into the middle of the bed, but I wanted the thought that someone else was laying in the middle of the bed to stay in my mind. The back of my mind knew that no one was there, but I attempted to forget about that knowledge.

I rolled over so I was now facing the ceiling. My eyes have accustomed to the dark now, but I didn't want to turn around or look to the other edge of the bed. I didn't want a reminder of what wasn't there.

I wanted to sleep. I felt so tired and exhausted. But at the same time, I didn't want to fall asleep. I didn't want another dream that involved Nico again. I didn't want to be reminded of what's not there anymore. You know, why did I even call these flashbacks "dreams"? They weren't dreams. They were  _never_  dreams. They're just nightmares of the memories I had. Memories and events that'll always be there, haunting me with every hour that I sleep.

Was this how Nico felt when his mom and sister died? This pain and misery and sorrow... Did he feel the same thing I was feeling now? Was Nico out there somewhere laughing at me now that I know how he felt and what he experienced? What was Nico doing now? I wonder.

I spared a glance to my right where he would've been. I would've been holding him with my nose buried into his hair. Hell, I wouldn't even  _be_  awake and having these treacherous thoughts swim through my mind. Hah,  _swim_. How ironic because I loved swimming. Now, I just don't even want it anymore. Just take all the pain away from me. As long as he comes back, I don't even care anymore.

I felt so helpless. I didn't have any hope anymore. What happened to the Percy Jackson that was so optimistic about everything? He was always so happy and full of life. Percy could've brightened up anyone's day. He always joked around about everything and laughed at whatever his friends said. Percy always seemed to have a smile on his face wherever he went. Even if he was having a bad day, he always managed to make something good out of it. What happened to that Percy Jackson? What happened to me?

I squeezed my eyes shut as I felt a tear roll down. I quickly sat up in my bed to wipe the tear away, but more just kept running down. I didn't feel like that Percy Jackson at all. He was dead now. Washed away by the sea, never to return again.

I exhaled deeply. More tears kept falling down. I took another deep breath and swiped an arm across my face. It still seemed as if I didn't even do the action. They were still there, laughing at me as they fell down.

Percy Jackson...Percy Jackson... Who was he now? Where was he in that sea? Why did he let himself be taken away by the waves?

My teeth were so tightly clenched together it felt as if they would break. My eyes were squeezed shut, but the tears still kept falling down. My breathing was ragged and uneven now, and I felt like screaming. Anything.  _Anything_ —just take this pain away!

I realized my body was shaking, but I couldn't control it. I forced my eyes open once more and my hand was in front of me. I couldn't stop it from shaking. It shook in terror and fear and sorrow.

The tears were just a minor factor to me now. I didn't care anymore. I gave up on them. They soaked my blanket and left trails down my cheeks for more tears to follow. More and more kept falling and falling. I know I said I wanted to cry until I couldn't even cry anymore, but when was that going to happen? When will the tears stop?

I heard a loud noise. It sounded so in-pain, so full of  _misery_. It didn't even sound like me. Was it even me? Did I just scream? Where did that sound come from?

I grabbed a fistful of my hair into my trembling hands. My body wouldn't stop shaking. Where was he when I needed him? Where was his sarcasm and humor? His long kisses that he gave me. The rare smile that played along his lips that took me forever to get him to show. The roll of his eyes whenever I made some stupid joke. His body warmth whenever he hugged me or cuddled with me. The feeling of his soft lips pushed onto my own.  _Damn it all, where was he?!_

I heard my door swing open and footsteps approach my bed. A scream erupted from my throat but I felt someone embrace me. The smell of candy and sweets wafted in the air, and I calmed down for a bit.

"Go to sleep, Percy." My mom's soothing voice seemed as if it came out of the darkness and into the light.

Another set of footsteps approached me and I already knew it was Paul.

"You'll be fine, Percy. Go to bed. Everything will be fine."

It didn't feel like they were talking to me anymore. Percy, Percy, is all they said. Did I even seem like Perseus Jackson anymore? Why would they even bother calling me such a thing?

Their soothing voices eventually faded, and before I knew it, I drifted off into a restless sleep.


	10. Part 3) Chapter Nine

**Annabeth Chase**

* * *

It was the day after the event between Percy and Nico. Nico had stayed over at Silena's house for the night despite the many times he tried to escape. He told her multiple times that he wanted to be alone, but all Silena had argued was, "What's the difference between you being alone and me being with you without making a sound?"

"The fact that there's someone with me or not makes a difference," Nico had whispered to me, and I couldn't help but crack a smile. At least Nico's sarcasm didn't disappear after everything that happened to him.

It was Tuesday now. It was the second day of my senior year in high school. It was weird thinking that I had met Nico last year. It seemed like it was just yesterday when Nico got beat up by Luke Castellan. But now  _I'm_ the one dating Luke. What a turn of events.

I hadn't seen Percy at all yesterday. I wanted to get a chance to talk to him and see his side of the story. I wasn't one for taking sides without even hearing the other side. I knew that Percy wouldn't lie to me about what had happened, so I was hoping to hear what happened from his perspective.

I tried to think. Where would Percy even be? I dated him before so I should know Percy very well, shouldn't I? I would ask Nico since it seemed to me like he was much closer to Percy than I was, but I was afraid of bringing up a topic that should not be brought up. Percy was considered the new He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named between Silena, Nico, and me.

My feet took me around the school in search of Percy. I didn't have a clue as to where to start, which was something that I didn't want to admit, but my feet seemed to have a feeling.

My feet stopped when I was faced by none other than Jason Grace. He had a somber expression, and his electric blue eyes looked very worried and concerned.

"Annabeth?" he asked me, and even though he was supposed to wear glasses, I was sure he knew it was me. Jason received glasses from an optometrist when he realized he couldn't see the signs very well on the side of the road whenever he was driving.

"Did you lose your glasses or something?" I teased him. "You haven't worn them for awhile."

Jason shrugged. "Yeah, it's already been a few weeks or so. I think Thalia took it just to make me feel frustrated or something. I asked her about it but she said she didn't know where they were, even though it seemed like she was lying."

I chuckled. "You should just search her room. School is starting now, and you wouldn't be able to read the board without them. Try asking her again."

"Maybe I should," he said, considering the idea in his head.

"And what's with the sad look on your face?" I interrogated.

Jason raised an eyebrow, but he soon realized what I was talking about. "Oh, well, I just found Percy. He told me what happened yesterday morning. Did he tell you?"

I shook my curly blonde hair. "Silena told me yesterday when I found her and Nico at a park."

He nodded in understanding. "I see. I found Percy just now. He was crying in the field."

I raised both of my eyebrows in surprise. "Crying?"

Jason frowned. "He must be taking this hard. I mean, I know I would be if I was in Percy's place."

"Where was he?" I questioned him.

Jason replied, "He was in the field. You going to go talk to him?"

I nodded. "You coming with me?"

He shook his head in response. "It seems like he wants to be left alone, but I think you'll manage. Just...be careful with him."

I offered him a smile. "Who do you think I am?"

He chuckled, rolling his eyes. "Annabeth Chase, the girl who knows how to do pretty much any and everything."

It was now my turn to roll my eyes. "Oh please." I chuckled and walked past Jason. "See you later, Golden Boy."

"Oh please," Jason said, imitating me. "See you later. I would call you 'Wise Girl' but that isn't my thing. It's Percy's."

I smiled to myself at Jason's comment before making my destination the field.

* * *

The field was absolutely empty except for me and another person. He was sitting with his back against the tree that Nico always sat at, facing the opposite direction from me. He didn't know that I approached until I spoke up.

"Hey, Percy," I finally said, and Percy slightly jumped.

He softly laughed. "Is that you Annabeth? Don't scare me like that, you know."

My eyes narrowed at the back of his head. "You can stop with the act, Percy."

There was a pause before he asked, "How'd you know?"

I walked up to his side. "May I sit down?"

He slightly nodded, so I took a seat next to him.

"I found Silena and Nico at the park yesterday," I began to explain. I glanced up at the sky. I knew Percy hated crying in front of people, so I didn't bother glancing at him and making him feel uncomfortable.

I sighed quietly and continued, "Silena told me what happened yesterday. Was she there when it happened?"

He nodded again, wiping his eyes with his wrist. "She was there."

I nodded in comprehension. "Hey, I wanted to know your side of the story. Would you mind telling me?"

He chuckled, but it didn't sound very humorous in any way. "I thought you would side with Nico since he was your friend and all."

I raised an eyebrow and lightly punched his shoulder. "I thought you knew me better than that, Seaweed Brain. I don't take a side unless I know both stories."

He stared up at the sky. His green eyes no longer looked as if they reflected the sea. It looked as if it reflected the saddened rain instead. Dried tear tracks were visible down his cheeks, and it was weird not seeing a smile upon his lips. I almost felt the same as Percy just by looking at him.

Percy ran a hand through his hair. "I never meant to cheat on him. I just... I don't know what I was doing. I'm such an  _idio_ t. A seaweed brain, really."

"Then why did you do it?" I pressed further, wanting to hear the whole story.

"Do you remember that one day on my birthday when I went outside to answer my phone?" He finally glanced at me, and his expression looked so depressed. It looked as if he was lost and was trying to find his way again, but he was failing.

I nodded, recalling the memory. "We all wondered why you had to step outside and answer it. We just thought you  _really_ didn't want us to hear whatever conversation you were going to have."

"The person was actually Caly," he put bluntly. He took a deep breath before continuing again. "I went outside and there she was. What she said to me that day... I guess it...touched my heart."

"Touched your heart," I repeated. "Didn't think you thought like that."

He rolled his eyes and playfully pushed me, and I softly laughed. I was also happy when I saw a smile appear on Percy's mouth.

His smile dropped. "I...ended up kissing her that day." His eyes seemed clouded as if he didn't want to think of the memory. Actually, I was pretty sure he didn't want to.

"What happened on the first day of school then?" I interrogated.

"She texted me, asking me to meet her where she usually was," he replied. "So I did. I told Nico that I'll be back later, and I went to meet her."

"When I saw her, I immediately thought of that kiss on my birthday." His eyes fixed onto the shortly-trimmed grass that we sat on. "I wanted to tell her to not get the wrong idea about it. She looked so sad, and I regretted telling her that. She wanted another kiss, but I didn't want to give her false hope. Then, she just talked normally to me, as if we were just friends. It was weird because, for some reason, it didn't feel  _right_ to me. At one point, she wants to kiss me, and the next she's talking to me as if we were childhood friends. I..." his voice cracked.

"Nico and Silena appeared then," I surmised, and he nodded. He covered his face with the palm of his right hand, but I could see some tears fall from the corner of his eyes.

"Have you tried talking to Nico about it?" I questioned, directing my gaze back onto the sky.

He shook his head. "I know he wouldn't want to talk to me." Percy's voice was muffled from his hand. "He hates me; I know he does. I kissed Caly  _twice_ without telling him  _onc_ e. I promised him I would stay with him forever. But  _guess fucking what?_ I just  _gave_ him empty promises!" 

My heart ached knowing how horrible he felt. It was so unnatural hearing how depressed Percy was since he was always so full of joy. No one like Percy deserves this kind of pain.

He swiped his hand down his face. "What does...What does Nico think of me now?"

"After his backstory and everything, I know he probably...holds a grudge on you." I exhaled. "He's depressed right now like you are. And he's back to his old self."

Right as I finished my last sentence, I saw Percy's hands clench to fists from the corner of my eyes.

" _Why?_ " Percy asked no one in particular. His voice was shaking, and so were his fists.

"I suggest you talk to him," I stated, picking myself up from the ground. "You don't seem like the one to give up, right?"

He gulped, wiping his face again with his hand. "No, I don't, huh?"

I smiled, ruffling his soft, black hair. "No, you don't. Go on and get your man back Percy. He needs you, and you need him too. Go show him what you're made of."

He chuckled, and it wasn't fake this time. "Yeah, I need to get my man back."


	11. Part 3) Chapter Ten

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fanfic will be shorter than The Violin That Started it All. At least, I think so. Then again, I said that The Violin That Started it All would be like 30 chapters but I guess not.

**Percy Jackson**

* * *

Annabeth's pep talk really got me fired up. She even pulled me up from my spot on the ground and dragged me to the restrooms so I could look better and make it seem as if I  _weren't_ crying the whole time during lunch even though I actually was.

When I came out of the bathroom, she took my arm and pulled me along to wherever Nico and Silena were. I was feeling very hopeful, but at the same time, I knew it would be absolutely useless. I knew Nico well enough to know that he wouldn't just accept my apology as if the whole cheating ordeal was nothing.

"Does anyone else know about the breakup other than us and Jason?" Annabeth questioned me, starting a conversation. I would bet you anything that she knew I was thinking about what was yet to come.

"Well," I drawled, "Silena and Nico know."

She scoffed. "They were included in the 'us.'"

"Oh," I simply said, and I already knew Annabeth was rolling her eyes at my stupidity.

"Well?" she asked. "Does anyone else know about it?"

I frowned, knitting my eyebrows together. " _Hm_ _._ I guess, now that Jason knows about it, I think he'll tell the others where I've been and why."

Annabeth nodded slowly. "It seems typical of Jason to not hide anything from his friends unless he promised not to."

"Yep, exactly like Jason," I agreed, shrugging. "Jason's such an honest guy."

She chuckled, turning a corner. "Yeah, he surely is."

"I wonder what he's like with Piper," I remarked.

"What do you mean?"

"People seem different with the person they love, don't they?" I asked her, and she nodded.

"They are," Annabeth answered. "Luke seems  _a lot_ different from before we dated. Was Nico any different?"

I tried to remember, but all the memories that we had together flashed through my mind and made it seem like I was carrying the whole sky on my shoulders.

"Can we...not talk about that?" I half-asked, half-pleaded.

There was a pause before Annabeth muttered, "I...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have—"

"No, really, it's fine," I tried to say nonchalantly, but my voice cracked.

Annabeth stopped in her tracks and I almost knocked her over. She quickly whirled around on the balls of her feet and sent a stinging pain along the side of my face.

I stumbled back a bit and grabbed my cheek, attempting to send a glare her way. It didn't seem to work. I was too stunned to give her a glare.

"Do not ever, Perseus Jackson,  _eve_ _r_  pretend to be okay in front of me  _again,_ " Annabeth pronounced slowly. She sounded so calm that it horrified me.

My eyes were wide and I couldn't even formulate actual, coherent words. The fact that Annabeth slapped me a few seconds ago was still trying to be processed in my brain.

"R-Right," I finally managed, attempting to regain my composure as the stinging pain began to subside. "Sorry."

Annabeth smiled triumphantly. Man, didn't she feel the  _least_ sorry for hitting a guy with a broken heart?

"Good. You better be," she stated firmly. "I can always tell when you're lying to me, Percy. I think I've known you long enough to know when you lie and when you don't. After all, I  _did_ date you at one point." Annabeth chuckled. "It's weird to think that we were once dating, isn't it?"

I nodded, a small, amused smile forming on my untouched lips. "Yeah, it is. It feels  _weird_ thinking about kissing you now."

Annabeth grimaced. " _Very_ weird," she emphasized. She reached out her hand and tugged on my wrist. "Come on Perce. We have someone to talk to, don't we?"

I frowned. "Annabeth, you and I both know he isn't just going to accept my apology like it was nothing."

She smiled, a mischievous twinkle in her gray eyes. "You don't think I know that already?"

I blinked blankly at her. "Wait... If you already know that, then why are you taking me to see him anyway? It's just a waste of time, isn't it? Why should we even bother?"

"Nico has been trying to get his mind off of you ever since yesterday," Annabeth began to explain. "As far as I know from my observations, it isn't working out very well. If  _you,_ " she jabbed a finger at my chest, "suddenly appear and try to apologize to him, he won't be getting his mind off of you. He still loves you, Percy. When you try and get him back, he'll refuse because he holds long-time grudges and everything. The fact that you  _still_ want to date him will be stuck in his mind like a mouse in a mouse trap.

"His mind will try to fight the idea of getting back together with you, but the more you advance on him, the more he'll see how much you want him. But you can't just go to him every single day or something. You'll just annoy him so badly he'll never even think about the idea. And if you do it too much, it'll make you seem desperate. I'm pretty sure neither of us want it to seem like you're desperate."

Good gods, how did Annabeth even  _think_  of these plans and ideas? How does a brain like Annabeth's work anyway?

"How long did it even take you to think of that?" I asked her, completely stunned by that huge plan.

She frowned as she concentrated deeply. "When I was dragging you over here after I made you wash your face—that was when it popped into my mind."

I sighed exasperatedly. "How do you even think of such  _brilliant_  plans like that? And I  _never_  use the word 'brilliant'!"

She laughed. "I know. 'Brilliant' doesn't seem to be a common word you usually use. I'm proud of you." Annabeth nodded slowly in approval.

I rolled my eyes. "Can we just get to him now? I haven't seen him in forever and I miss seeing him."

"Percy, it's been  _a_   _day_."

"It still seems like forever!"

Annabeth laughed once more. "You really love him, don't you?"

"Of course I love him!" I stated defensively.

She smiled. "That's good. Just...don't screw up so much next time."

"Yeah, yeah. I think I've learned my lesson by now," I replied.

Annabeth nodded. "I have to warn you about something though. Will you hear me out?"

"'Course I will," I answered. "Fire away."

Annabeth sharply inhaled. "When Nico rejects you, it's probably going to hurt.  _A lot_. Well, I guess it depends on how much you love him. But I can already tell you love him a whole lot. He's going to reject you the first time around, but will you be able to handle it?"

My mind reeled to last night when I broke down from my flashback of the first time I talked to Nico.

Apparently, I had some kind of frightened expression on my face because she stared worriedly at me. "Did something happen? You usually never act like this."

"I just...broke...down last night," I mumbled, resulting in Annabeth widening her eyes.

" _What?!"_ She cried.

"I had a flashback of the first time I met Nico," I explained as simply as possible so I wouldn't have to think about the details of the dream. Correction—nightmare.

Annabeth was silent for a while, but she finally manage to say, "I'm so sorry..."

I shook my head. "It's not your fault, so you don't even need to apologize. But, did you...feel this way when I broke up with you?"

Annabeth shuffled her feet together, averting her gaze to the ground. "Y-Yeah." She glanced up at me, and there wasn't even a trace of sadness. "But, that isn't important right now. Will you be able to handle it?"

I gulped and nodded. "If I want to get Nico back, I'll have to."

She grinned. "There's the Percy I know." She tugged on my wrist. "Let's go get your man back, Percy."

I chuckled. "Right," I replied as I let her drag me to wherever Nico and Silena were located.


	12. Part 3) Chapter Eleven

**Percy Jackson**

* * *

I was  _definitely_ not prepared for how much it hurt. I mean, I thought I was, but I thought wrong.

I wish I could've erased that day from time and existence. Someone was probably born that day, but I still wanted to erase the day when the broken pieces of my heart were broken even more. That person could be born another day.

Annabeth and I turned a corner, and I almost ran into the person who was going to run my heart over with a car that contained the coldest emotions someone could ever possess.

Someone, most likely Silena, pulled him back to prevent him from running into me, and Annabeth tugged on my arm to stop me. My crushed heart was now pounding furiously against my chest as I glanced down at the person who I regretfully lied to.

He glanced up at me with blank eyes. They weren't full of happiness and love as they used to be. I missed getting lost in those eyes. Why did I have to go and take it all away?

I almost felt like breaking down just by looking at him. Actually, I was about to until Annabeth tugged on my arm again and whispered in my ear, "Pull it together, Percy!"

I blinked back the tears that were threatening to spill as I looked at her from the corner of my eyes. She had a determined gaze on her face when she nodded slightly to me.

"Annabeth?" Silena, who was standing behind Nico, finally broke the silence between us. I noticed that she didn't even bother to acknowledge my presence.

"Hi Silena," Annabeth greeted.

"We were about to look for you!" she cried. "Where have you been?"

She lightly elbowed me. "Talking to Percy. Remember? He's your  _friend,_  Silena."

Her gaze turned to me as if she just noticed me. "Oh, hey Percy!" She greeted enthusiastically, but I could tell already that it was fake from the first word of the sentence.

"Hey," I greeted simply. I debated on offering her a smile, but it seemed like too much effort to give her a fake one.

I took a sharp breath as I glanced at Nico. He was staring intently at me as if waiting to see what I was trying to pull for being there.

"Hey Nico," I hesitantly greeted. I was pretty sure I just died by saying those two words to him.

Nico's eyes finally met mine, and we had a staring contest for what felt like a millennium. I gulped, and it felt like I was slightly shaking under his intense gaze. I was so afraid of saying something wrong in front of him. What if I screwed Annabeth's plan up while talking to him? I was certain that was a possibility.

"Silena," Annabeth broke the heavy cloud of silence, "can I talk to you?"

Her thin eyebrows rose as she stared back at Annabeth. "O-Okay," she stammered merely from surprise. They went off to the side somewhere to talk about...something, but it was now a minor factor to me when I realized Annabeth purposely did that to leave us alone.

I didn't even have a clue on what to say. What was I supposed to say first? Do I just get straight to the point first or should I just try to get him to be comfortable around me? He seemed very tense, and I felt like trying to get him to relax.

I parted my lips to say something, but he beat me to it when he said, "Hey."

I blinked blankly. "What?"

Nico rolled his eyes, leaning his back against the wall to my right. "You told me 'hey.' I decided to reply back to you since I never actually said anything."

_Pull it together!_ I heard Annabeth's voice in the back of my mind. I  _really_ needed to stop zoning out.

"Right," I said awkwardly. I was about to ask how he has been, but I was pretty sure that was a stupid question. I mean, how would  _you_ feel if the person who promised to be with you for a lifetime cheated on you?

"How are you and Caly?" Nico broke the silence that seemed to appear every time someone finished a statement. "Caly must be happy now that she's finally with you, huh?" I could sense the bitter tone he decided to not hide.

"Nico—"

"Caly came by earlier," he cut me off. "Told me that you and she are official, aren't you? She said that even though she only wanted to be friends with you, you kissed her. Isn't that right?"

"Nico, just hear me out," I pleaded. My heart throbbed in my chest and I didn't want to hear Nico talk about her and me anymore.

"I'm listening," Nico snapped, and the uninterested expression he had seemed permanent.

"I'm sorry," I began to say. I ran a nervous hand through my hair. "I'm sorry I...I kissed her. I didn't mean to. It's just—"

"You felt  _sorry_ for her, didn't you?" Nico cut me off once more. "So you kissed her since she just oh so  _desperately_ wanted you. And now that you did it, you regret it since you feel sorry for  _me_ now. So now you're just running back and forth between us since you feel  _sorry_ for the  _both_ of us. Aren't I right?"

His beautiful, dark brown eyes sent a glare in my direction as he shoved his hands into his pockets. I was positive his hands formed fists.

"You know," Nico began after I didn't know how to reply, "I would've forgiven you if you just told me and you didn't mean it. If you told me it was a mistake  _before_ I had to find out for  _myself,_ I honestly would've forgiven you. But guess what? You just  _had_ to feel guilty and afraid of what I'd say, so you shut it out. You knew for  _half a month_ and you didn't even bother telling me. I thought you loved me, Perseus Jackson. Where's the love from  _that?_ "

_Shit,_ why did Nico have to be so  _right?_

"You're wrong," I blurted out, surprising the both of us.

"Really?" Nico challenged. "Tell me, where am I wrong?"

Was it a coincidence that one of the people that sang the song  _Am I Wrong_ was named Nico?

"I  _don't_ feel sorry for you," I corrected him.

He raised a puzzled eyebrow at me. "What?"

"Okay, I know that sounds weird, but let me explain it to you," I stated. I took a deep breath once more and began my explanation.

"I  _don't_ feel sorry for you," I repeated again for emphasis. "I know you hate pity, and during the few most happiest months of my life, I taught myself to not show you pity. So I'm not going to do that now or anytime soon.

"I wanted to apologize to you for all the lies that I gave you," I continued. "I know I promised you that I would be with you forever and ever, and I still intend it to be that way. I know you probably won't forgive me right away, but I won't stop trying. I'll talk to Caly soon and break it off."

He opened his mouth to say something, but I already knew what he was going to say, so I cut him off.

"I know I don't keep my promises very well. But everyone learns from mistakes, right? I'll fix the mess I've done, and I promise you I won't give up."

There was a long silence of him staring at me. His glare disappeared, which I guess was a good sign. Nico didn't say anything, and I was getting really nervous. My palms were getting sweaty as I thought of so many possibilities. Did I say something wrong? Did he not understand something? Or was he not even listening to me? I  _hoped_ he listened to me because that was probably the best thing I've ever said other than that one time I told my mom how much I loved him and I had no idea he was standing behind me.

He chuckled.  _He fucking chuckled._ I had no idea why he was laughing, and I was getting pretty irritated. I was about to ask him, but he explained it before I could ask.

" _Most happiest_ isn't proper grammar, Percy." His chuckling came to a stop, but there was still a trace of his gorgeous smile upon his luscious lips. My heart seemed to rebuild itself just by watching him smile. I guess the Nico di Angelo that I tried so hard to get to appear never actually disappeared.

I smirked. "You laugh about  _that?_ "

He nodded. "Still the same old Percy after everything. But, you know, it's going to take a lot more effort if you want to win me back. I—"

"Hold strong grudges, I know," I finished for him. "But you know, holding long-term grudges can be a fatal flaw of yours."

He raised an eyebrow for an explanation but the bell rang before either of us could say any more.


	13. Part 3) Chapter Twelve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I also plan on making Part 3 around 20 chapters? I don't think I can make it that long at this rate...I'm trying to not progress the story too fast so that it's unrealistic. I honestly hate it when they break up and get back together in like two chapters! Nico wouldn't do that at all! Okay, sorry for the unnecessary rant; here we go.

**Percy Jackson**

* * *

My leg bounced up and down as I glanced at the clock every few seconds. I gritted my teeth in anger. It was as if  _time_ didn't want me to break up with Caly! God, what was up with the world?

An object hit me in the side of the head and I turned to glare in the direction where it came from. To be more specific, I glared in the direction of the  _person_ who decided to throw a crumpled piece of paper at me. I examined it at its place on the ground, and from how much lead he used to color part of the paper, it looked burnt to me.

He laughed quietly at me but I could tell he was trying to miserably hide it.

"What do you want?" I fiercely whispered to him.

He smirked, leaning toward me. "What are you so eager for,  _hm_ _?_ "

"Why do you care, Leo?" I snapped a bit harsher than I intended.

Leo brought a hand up to his chest in a dramatic gesture and gasped. "Well,  _Perc_ y. I am  _hurt_  by your words."

I rolled my eyes and rested my cheek onto the palm of my hand. "Whatever."

He chuckled and picked up the piece of crumpled paper off the ground. "So," he started, unraveling the piece of paper, "what are you so eager about? I mean I know this is the last class we have to suffer through, but what do you even plan on doing after school? Afraid you'll be late for something?"

I sighed exasperatedly. "Did Annabeth tell you?" I questioned.

He blinked blankly. "Tell me wh—oh!" His eyes brightly lit up as if there were a fire in them.

"Valdez!" A voice boomed from the front of the classroom. All eyes turned to Leo, and when most people would have their faces burning with embarrassment for being singled out, he laughed.

"Yes, Mrs. Athena?" he asked with a Cheshire cat grin spread upon his face.

"That's Mrs.  _Chase_  to you," she snapped. "Just because you know my daughter does not mean you have the privilege to call me by my first name rather than my surname."

" _Sir_ -name?" Leo furrowed his eyebrows together. They seemed to be as dark as ash even though his curly hair was a chocolate brown.

A smirk came upon Leo's lips and I already knew something was about to happen that would piss the teacher off.

"I thought you were a  _woman._  Is there something you would like to share with the class,  _Mr. Chase?_ "

The students erupted into laughter all around the classroom while Mrs. Chase sighed heavily.

"Enough, enough," she said. "Let's get back to the lesson without  _any more interruption_ s. Right,  _Valdez?_ "

Leo softly laughed. "Right,  _Mr. Chas_ e."

Some of the students attempted to hold in their laughter and chuckles as the teacher nodded and gave her full concentration to teaching the new lesson that I wasn't actually listening too. I could already tell that Leo wasn't either.

Another object collided with my temple and I turned to give a glare at him once more. Wow, I felt so much like Nico. Maybe it was because I loved him so much.

He smirked and leaned toward me again, picking up the charred-looking piece of paper in the process. "Continuing with our conversation..." he trailed off, glancing at the back of Mrs. Chase and flipping her off with a tongue stuck out in a mocking manner.

I rolled my eyes and chuckled. "You are so weird."

He shrugged. "It's how I was meant to be. The gods looked at me when I was born and were like, 'I like that kid. He's going to be as hilarious as Hell. Not like Hades seems to be humorous, but whatever. This kid's going to be born a comedian.'" He stared and directed the dialogue toward the space in between us as if he were the gods and the space was himself. "But anyway. Are you talking about when Annabeth told us you and Nico... You know.  _That._ "

I frowned. "Yeah,  _that._ "

"So?" Leo asked me with an eyebrow raised. "Why does that have anything to do with why you're so eager to leave?"

I sighed. "I plan on breaking up with Caly if I can find her after class."

" _Oh!_ ' Leo's expression brightened like a fire would if you added more wood to it.

I chuckled. " _Yes Le_ _o_ ," I said to him as if I were talking to a kindergartner.

He grinned at me and patted my shoulder. "You better rip her heart into pieces and burn it, Percy. Step on the ashes while you're at it."

I brought my hands up to my mouth to muffle my laughs, and Leo laughed softly with me.

"Valdez!" The teacher screeched from the head of the classroom.

"Why do  _I_ always get singled out?" he whined.

"Maybe it's because you're single now," I whispered to him, resulting in laughter from the other. The threesome between Hazel, Frank, and Leo didn't work out since he always felt like the third wheel, so he left them a few months ago. He doesn't actually feel bad about it though. In fact, he likes to tease the two whenever they are together.

"Valdez, what are you laughing about?" Mrs. Chase huffed impatiently.

"Nothing, nothing," he managed to say in between laughs.

"Is that so?" The teacher challenged, but before she could say another word, the bell rang. Students from all sides of the classroom dashed outside to finally be in the light called freedom. I dragged Leo out of the room and bid my farewells to the teacher.

I had always been on Mrs. Chase's bad side since the beginning of time. When I was dating Annabeth, she always advised Annabeth that I was some kind of wretched boyfriend who was using her. When we broke up, she hated me even more. I don't think our relationship could get any worse than this.

I brought Leo outside and he waved goodbye to me while saying that I should remember to burn Caly's heart and step on the ashes. He also added a part where I sprinkle the ashes onto Nico, but I was pretty sure he would take the ashes and throw them onto me instead.

I sprinted outside and I scanned the area quickly. To my luck and dismay, I found Caly sitting on a nearby planter. She spotted me as well and waved me over. I forced a smile, but the smile seemed to have become more genuine once I imagined short, messy dark brown hair and dark brown eyes with eyelashes that would make any girl jealous. Black clothing adorned the person that I was approaching, and my tensed shoulders seemed to have relaxed.

_Well, here goes nothing,_ the back of my mind reminded me.


	14. Part 3) Chapter Thirteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Turns out I managed to make Part 3 longer than 20 chapters.

**Percy Jackson**

* * *

I reached Caly and she gave me a warm smile as she stood up from her seat on the planter and threw her arms around my neck. I froze, and my shoulders tensed once again. Her embrace didn't feel right to me at all. I didn't know whether to push her off or just let her do what she wants until I burned her heart and stomped all over the ashes.

Before I could snap out of my stunned state, Caly let me go and set her palms on my shoulders. Her eyebrows were furrowed in concern as her eyes scanned my face.

"What's wrong, Percy?" she asked with a worried frown on her lips. It would've looked cute to me if my mind weren't imagining someone else.

"What do you mean?" I flashed her a fake smile, forcing my tense shoulders to relax.

She eyes me suspiciously, but to my relief, she sighed, letting it go. "Never mind. If you don't want to tell me, then you don't have to." Caly offered me a small, reassuring smile and I couldn't help but relax at the sight.

My teeth grounded together. I had to tell her  _some_ time if I wanted Nico back. I couldn't stall around and beat around the bush anymore. I just had to go in and burn the bush along with stepping on its ashes, according to Leo.

A pair of lips pecked the corner of my mouth and my body seemed to have become absolutely frozen. I blinked blankly at nothing in particular until my gaze fell upon Caly, who seemed to be giggling to herself.

"Sorry, sorry," Caly managed in between giggles. "I called your name a few times but you wouldn't say anything." Her eyebrows furrowed together in worry. "Are you sure you don't want to tell me what's wrong?"

I cleared my throat and looked straight into her hazel eyes. "Look, I have to tell you something Caly."

One of her eyebrows rose. "Like what? Oh, wait, I just remembered something! Well, actually, do you want to talk first? I can wait."

I smiled nervously. I  _really_ wanted to get straight to the point, but I wasn't really ready yet. I mean, with Annabeth, it was easier because Annabeth was more...  _Reasonable._ Annabeth knew whenever things were going wrong, and she always had a rational mind.

But Caly? Caly  _insulted_ Nico to have a chance with me. Why did I even go to her? Didn't I love Nico? Was I just confused that day or what?

_Why did I fucking_ kiss  _her that day?!_

My head contained so many unanswered questions that it felt like the world was spinning. I started to lose balance, and I felt  _horribl_ e. I felt sick, and my stomach was in knots. Was this how girls felt when they were on that thing they called "periods"? God, I'm starting to feel  _very_ empathetic to them.

"Percy?" Caly called to me as I took a step back.

I managed a weak smile. "I'm... I'm fine. You can talk first."

She placed her hands on my cheeks, and it looked as if she was about to cry. My heart twisted in guilt when she had that expression. If she had  _that_ expression when I was in pain, what expression would she have if I inflicted pain on her by breaking up with her?

I should've  _really_ gotten straight to the point. I hope by the end of the day, I would have to get  _gay_ to the point.

Her hands on my cheeks felt like fire, and not the warming and loving kind of fire like before when Nico wrapped his arms around my neck and pushed his body against mine.  _That_ fire was warm and comforting. It made me feel safe, and it felt as great as home.

_This_ fire—the fire that Caly emitted— was fierce. It burned and stung as it left scars. It was a violent and wild burn that waved in the wind and was hard to blow out. It was destructive and just...  _Horrid._

Caly's hands slid down to my neck, and I almost flinched violently at the stinging feeling.

"If you want me to," she muttered. "Are you sure you don't want to talk first?"

I managed a nod. I just wanted to rip her hands right off my skin and soothe the burns with Nico's smooth, pale ones. He could wipe these scars on my skin and in my life away, can't he?

Caly nodded. "Okay. Well, I was wondering... Would you, I mean," she cleared her throat. I could tell she was nervous to tell me something. I narrowed my eyes at her, but my silence urged her to continue.

"Do you... Want to come with me on a... D-Date?" Her voice faded by the end of the sentence, and I had to strain my ears to listen to her last words.

My eyes slightly widened, and the cramp in my stomach intensified. Well, wasn't  _that_  just  _fucking dandy?_

"Where to?" I hesitantly asked. I didn't know  _why_ I decided to question her even though I knew my answer already.

"It's a restaurant," she answered. "My dad is paying for it. It's a really nice restaurant, and it's  _huge!_ They've got nice food there and fancy chandeliers hanging from the ceiling."

I frowned a bit—not enough to actually attract her attention. "What... What's the name of this restaurant?"

"It's a weird name," Caly stated. "It's called  _Olympus Rebuilt._ Weird name for a restaurant, huh?"

My head pounded harshly and my heart ached. Gravity felt as if it suddenly increased on only me. That... That place. I couldn't go there. No.  _No._ I  _couldn't_ go back there. That was the restaurant that I took Nico to on his birthday at the end of January. January 29... I still remember his birthday.

Memories of that day flashed right before my eyes as if it only happened yesterday. I honestly wish it happened just yesterday.

A massive headache stormed throughout my head, and I couldn't stop the pounding. Damn, didn't girls have periods every month? How the  _fuck_  did girls get used to this? We need more feminists; like god damn they deserve rights in this world. They produce babies and endure this pain for babies, yet there are still sexist asses out there. From this day forward, call me a feminist.

Jeez, how many times did I curse just now? I felt more like Nico with each passing day. Couldn't the gods just give him to me again? Why did I have to go through this stupid trial? Where is Nico now when I need him?

"I..." I forced a sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry. I can't go there."

Caly's expression looked so crestfallen. "Oh, okay. If I may ask, why not?"

"I took Nico there in January for his birthday," I explained briefly. I felt like I would break down like before if I explained any further.

"Oh," Caly's eyes looked sad, yet there held a sort of furious look. "Nico, huh?" She heavily sighed. "You seem to defend Nico a lot. You mention him a lot too."

I really wanted to respond with,  _You're the one that asked me why I can't go there in the first place, little girl._ But I didn't, unfortunately. I may be sassy, but I wasn't  _that_ sassy, right? Please say "yes." Why aren't you saying "yes"?

"Is there a problem with me mentioning Nico a lot?" I blurted out. "Is it  _wrong_ to mention the guy that I  _love?_ What are you, a  _jealous little_   _brat?!_ "

And,  _that_  was when I realized how much I fucked up the situation.


	15. Part 3) Chapter Fourteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was just reading Event Ten from The Violin That Starts it All and god damn it I'm so happy that Percico was happening and now I have to write this chapter...Good luck.

**Percy Jackson**

* * *

Caly stared dumbfounded at me. I was also completely dumbfounded at what I just said. Don't tell me I just fucked everything up and now Caly's going to become some psycho-bitch and a crying mess after I tell her the truth.

" _What?_ " Caly seethed.

I gulped, but I wanted to fix everything that I did. My heart pounded against my chest at the thought of saying a single word wrong. Sure I loved Nico and not Caly, but that didn't mean I wanted to burn her heart and step on the ashes. Sorry, Leo.

"I  _love_ Nico di Angelo," I stated firmly, and I saw Caly wince slightly.

"You... Do?" Caly asked hesitantly with a glare directed in my direction as if challenging me to answer.

"I do," I repeated with a nod. "I'm sorry. I... I never loved you, Caly."

The realization dawned on me just now. I never actually loved Caly. All of my feelings directed toward Nico were split in half; half to Caly and half to Nico. Why? I don't know, but it was probably because Caly seemed so desperate that it just happened after months of her trying. Whenever I was with Caly, it didn't feel the same.

Honestly, I never really  _saw_ Caly. I saw her with short, black, and messy hair. Dark brown eyes and pale skin _—_ not sickly pale. The skin looked as if it were made of porcelain, and her clothes weren't the white dresses or the shorts and tank tops she always wore. I never saw those anymore. Instead, I saw black. A black t-shirt that sometimes had a skull on it or a band like  _My Chemical Romance_ or  _Three Days Grac_ e on it. Dark gray or black jeans adorned his slim legs, and black high tops from  _Nike, Adidas,_ or _Converse_ always seemed to be there. The silver skull ring that I gave as a present at that restaurant was there on the left index finger. Silver chains dangled from the side, and I always thought that they were there as an opportunity to grab them and pull his body closer to mine and kiss his plump lips.

Yes,  _his_ body.  _His_ plump lips. Nico di Angela's body. Nico di Angelo's plump lips. The only person that I would ever love in all my lifetime. Nico di Angelo... It was so sad to think that he could be gone forever. I wanted him back.

_So badly._

I was going to fix things no matter how messed up Caly became. I was going to fix things no matter how much it hurt. I was going to fix things no matter how many times Nico rejected me. I was going to fix things no matter how long his grudge stays. I loved him. I  _love_ him. And I was going to fix this. I don't know when. But I wanted it to be  _soon._ Very, very soon.

I wanted him. I  _needed_ him. I wanted him next to me as I walked home. I wanted his rare smile to form on his addicting lips along with the twinkle in his gorgeous dark brown orbs. I wanted him holding me as he fell asleep in my bed. I wanted to help him. I wanted to fix him. I broke him, so it's my job to fix him again. I can't just throw him to Silena and Annabeth as I wait for him to be fixed.  _I_ have to take that responsibility.

I knew Nico was strong enough to be able to fix himself. Hell, he was probably stronger than  _me._  He experienced so much more than me during his life. I'm surprised he didn't give up.  _I_ would have given up. But he... He's still going strong. He didn't need me to fix him.

But it didn't hurt to at least help him a bit, right? He still needed encouragement. He still needed someone to remind him of how strong he was. I was the one that broke him.

I'll be happy to take on the responsibility of telling him how special he really is. Annabeth didn't break him. Silena didn't break him.  _I_ did. And I was going to help him.

Help him restore his smile.

Help him restore his laugh.

Help him restore his happiness.

Help him restore his  _life._

Nico was just some other student at my school. Nico was just some guy in a park who had a talent for playing his violin. Nico was just the freshman who was bullied by Luke Castellan. Nico was just the liar who got beaten up by his dad and lost the rest of his family in a car crash. Nico was just a friend of Silena's. Nico was just my best friend. Nico was the one who trusted me. Nico was my boyfriend. Now, he was my ex-boyfriend.

And I was  _determine_ _d_  to erase that last statement.

"You really love him, huh?"

I snapped out of my thoughts and glanced down at Caly, who was staring sadly at her white flats.

"What?" I asked breathlessly as if I just stated this huge monologue.

"Your speech," Caly vaguely answered, glancing reluctantly up at me. "Your speech about how much you love Nico. I have a feeling you wouldn't say that about anyone else but him, huh?"

So I really  _did_ say a huge monologue. And it was about Nico. My own thoughts wanted to be heard, I guessed. If only Nico were here so he would be able to hear how much I still loved him.

Her gaze dropped down to her shoes once again as a tear streamed down her cheek. "You... Never loved me," she repeated as if she were hypnotized.

I grit my teeth and scanned the part of her face that I could actually see. Her eyes were becoming red and puffy as more tears carved tracks down both of her cheeks.

I felt bad for her. But I wasn't going to kiss her like I did before to make her feel better. I wasn't going to give her false hope. I just had to grin and bear it. For Nico.

For Nico. For Nico di Angelo, my one and only lover.

It was weird breaking someone's heart in front of the school where many people were waiting to be picked up by their parents, or they were simply too lazy to drive home at the moment. But, I had to get it over with sooner or later. And that sooner or later was  _now._

_"_ I'm s-sorry," she stuttered through her tears. Her teeth chewed on her lower lips as she attempted to put the right words together.

"I'm sorry," Caly repeated. "I'm sorry for b-being... S-So desperate." Her lips quivered violently as she spoke, but she continued anyway. "I b-broke your relationsh-ship with Nico, and it... It's all my fault. I'm so sorry. You m-must be so a-angry at me. I could tell h-how much you l-love him..." Her voice died out as she reached the last few words of her statement, and her head was bowed low. I could tell that she was afraid to meet my gaze.

"I am angry at you," I said honestly. "You can't just break a happy relationship for your own selfish reasons. Leave us alone for your sake and find someone else. There's tons of people in this world, and I know you'll be able to find just one person.  _One_ person. It shouldn't be too hard, right?"

Caly nodded faintly, wiping her eyes with the back of her wrists. She didn't say another word as she slowly turned around and trudged away.

I guess that was it, huh?

I was glad Caly didn't turn into some psycho-bitch. She was probably going to become a crying mess later on in the day, and it made my heart twist with guilt that I had purposely hurt someone. But, one thing was done. That was all I needed to know.

Something tugged on the hem of my navy blue T-shirt and I jumped slightly. I whirled around only to find my eyes widen and my heart quickened its pace.

_Nico di Angel_ o.

"I heard all of that," he said with a little trace of sadness in his eyes.

"Did you?" I asked with a gulp.

He placed his hands on my shoulders, and before I knew what he was going to do, he stood up on his toes and pushed his lips onto mine.

My lips parted slightly in shock. My eyes became wider, and my whole body was frozen. I could feel my face heat up, and my heart was beating dangerously fast.

Before I could even respond, he stopped. His lips were still against mine, and I was so tempted to push our lips together. Instead, I waited, and I heard and felt every word he spoke.

"It's going to take a lot more work than that to win me back," he whispered against my lips.

I smirked, and for the first time in what felt like forever, I felt like myself again.

"Yeah, I know," I chuckled, placing my hands on his hips.

He stood to his regular height and scanned my face with his stunning dark brown eyes. After a while, his mouth opened.

"I wonder how long it'll take for you to win me back," he said with a thoughtful look across his face. I didn't know what to say back. Was I supposed to say something to him?

Nico took his hands off my shoulders and walked right past me as if that conversation had never happened.


	16. Flashback Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy Jackson's Nightmares  
> Night of Tuesday  
> From Middle of Event Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to skip to Saturday, but I don't want to directly skip to Saturday. So instead, I'll be having these flashback fillers, which is what Percy's dreams/nightmares are consisted of. They're basically like the events in The Violin That Started it All.
> 
> I'm also not going to put these dreams in italics. Sorry about that. But, you guys get that this isn't actually reality; it's a dream (flashback), okay?
> 
> "From Event _" means the chapter/event where the actual event happened in The Violin That Started it All.
> 
> I skipped the beginning of Event Five because there was a fight at the beginning. I didn't want to include the fight. So, this chapter at the beginning includes things that weren't shown in The Violin That Started it All, and then it continues from there.

**Percy Jackson**

* * *

"I'm not hungry."

I glanced over at Nico. His head was bowed low, and his bangs hung in front of his face. I was tempted to just confess everything to Nico so he could stop wearing such a sad expression. It didn't fit his beautiful face.

Sally's gaze flickered toward me, then back to Nico as she continued to clean up the food that spilled over Tyson. "You can leave it there if you want," she reassured with a smile.

He glanced up at her. I knew he was trying to keep a straight face, but I knew him long enough to see the depressed look he had in his dark brown eyes that I seemed to love from the very start.

"Are you sure?" Nico asked with furrowed eyebrows.

Sally nodded, a kind smile gracing her features. "I'm  _positive,_ Nico. You can go if you want to."

Nico nodded in understanding. He pushed himself up from his chair with the support of the dining table, and he left the room.

My eyes made their way toward his plate, and I involuntarily glared at it. Nico barely ate anything!

Paul and Sally chuckled together, and I looked at them with an eyebrow raised in confusion. My mom just finished cleaning Tyson up and was now serving him more food to eat since half of it was wasted.

"What's so funny?" I mumbled.

"You really care about Nico, don't you?" Paul questioned with another chuckle.

"Of course I do!" I exclaimed a bit too loudly. "I love Nico so much."

Paul smiled sincerely. "That's good to hear."

I returned the smile before reaching for his plate and fork and walking outside.

As I made my way outside, I heard bullets ringing through the air, and a man shouted, "Friendly UAV above!"

I looked at the screen and noticed that he was at a place named "Standoff." Mostly everyone loved that map, but Nico apparently hated it.

Nico took a quick glance to see who it was before returning his focus to the television screen once more. His character in the video game jumped onto a ladder that was beside a sky blue building. Was he planning on going up to the sniping window? Nico didn't snipe as far as I knew, but he  _was_ pretty good with the SVU-AS.

I took a seat next to him, tapping the corner of his pink lips with the fork that held a piece of sausage.

He turned his head to see what I was doing, and I shoved the piece of food into his mouth.

"What the fuck," Nico actually managed to say with food muffling his voice. "Are you feeding me my breakfast?"

I nodded, a smirk across my face as I retracted the fork out of his mouth, and he was forced to digest the piece of food. I was glad he didn't spit it out into my face; it was actually a lot more shocking to me that he didn't spit it back out.

He waved his hand wildly toward the screen. "Look what you did. I got knifed from behind." Nico turned to glare at the TV while swallowing the last of his piece of food.

I laughed, glancing at the screen just in time to witness Nico's character get killed by a knife. His killer's username was ExoticSpeedz. "You have to eat, Nico!" I exclaimed with a huge grin.

"I'm not hungry!" He stuck his bottom lip out like a ridiculous child, yet it seemed so tempting just to catch his bottom lip between my teeth and suck on it as if there were no tomorrow.

"Well, that sucks, doesn't it?" I smirked, attempting to feed him another piece of sausage, but he ducked out of the way.

"I fucking told you: I'm not hungry!" he cried, but a smile broke its way onto his lips.

I laughed once more. "Nico! We have younger ones in this household!" I scolded playfully, a grin still on my face.

He rolled my eyes at me, and he moved his head away from my _—_ technically Nico's _—_ fork. "Well, I'm not eating," Nico stated stubbornly.

I placed the plate down on the coffee table located in front of the couch we were sitting on. "I am totally making you eat this piece of motherfucking sausage whether you like it or not."

"Percy!" Nico gasped, mimicking me in a ridiculously deep voice. "We have younger ones in this household!"

I laughed a little harder than before. "I don't sound that stupid!"

"You sure about that?" Nico asked sarcastically in between laughs.

"I really am going to make you eat this!" I declared loudly.

"You were already going to make me eat it anyway," Nico remarked.

I rolled my eyes before stealing and throwing the PS3 remote in his hands down and shoving him down onto the couch.

His back hit the couch with a soft  _thud_ , and Nico kicked me lightly in the chest. I only smirked down at him before holding his feet down with one hand and his hands with my other free hand.

I removed my grip on his feet as I outstretched his bent, slim legs. I straddled him, and he struggled, attempting to escape my grasps.

With my hand still binding Nico's hands together, I grinded against his lower regions, surprising him as a moan slipped between his lips, making him instantly hard.

With my hand that wasn't holding his down, I grabbed the fork with the piece of sausage as quickly as possible before inserting it into his mouth.

Nico glared coldly at me. "Evil," He managed as best as he could with a fork and a piece of sausage in his mouth.

I bent down so that his face was inches from mine. Our noses brushed against each other as I removed the fork from his mouth. "Well, I'm hard as well, so I guess we're both even." I slightly shifted my clothed, erected manhood against his to prove my point, and I could see him clench his teeth to probably suppress another moan.

A deep red blush spread across his face as he continued to glare venomous daggers at me, not saying a word.

I chuckled, pushing my lips against his, but not enough to actually kiss him.

"I guess we both have to take care of something, hm? Why don't we help each other out?" I said against his lips.

His blush became a deeper red, and I didn't think that was even possible. Well, at least it was super adorable, right? I smiled and finally decided to make a move by kissing him.

We made-out for a while before I got a bit impatient. I licked his bottom lip for entrance, and I was glad that he obliged. Nico opened his mouth while my tongue shot rapidly through to explore.

He moaned into the kiss while I grinded against his hips, resulting in the both of us moaning in great pleasure.

We sometimes separated for probably a millisecond second to catch our breaths, before delving back and letting our tongues intertwine once again. I was pretty sure I never even bothered to open my eyes.

My other hand ran underneath his dark shirt, and his back arched just a bit. He moaned, and my hand eventually found his way to his nipple. I pinched it lightly, resulting in another deep moan from the boy beneath me.

He groaned, rubbing his clothed erection against mine. I gasped in shock as my grip on my hands above his head tightened. I could feel his finger slightly twitch, and I knew he wanted to touch me. I chuckled internally to myself. I wasn't about to let him do such a thing just yet.

He tried to free his hands as they wiggled in my biggest hand, but I only tightened my grip some more to keep him captive.

I released my mouth from his. "Hard to not touch me, huh?" I asked in a deep, husky voice.

He smirked, and before I could ask him why he was randomly smirking, he grinded against my crotch again and I moaned. "Fuck, Nico!" I cried, a long moan erupting from my throat.

His smirk was still intact, so to wipe it off, my tongue pushed its way into his warm and enticing mouth. Nico gasped as I smirked instead. I moved my clothed manhood against his sexually and moans after moans followed from the both of us. It was so pleasurable I just couldn't stop.

But apparently, it all stopped when we suddenly heard a voice behind us.

"No wonder I kept hearing so much noise. Get a room! We have younger ones here!"

We instantly pulled away, our lips bruised from kissing each other so hard, and we were panting heavily from the lack of air. Nico's shirt was a bit ruffled since my hand was just previously under there. It would  _still_  be under there if not for the sudden interruption.

Paul laughed. "You guys were getting pretty Rated R for Tyson, you know. Control your hormones sometime! Your bedrooms are upstairs!"

"Paul!" I felt my face heat up as I grabbed the nearest object _—_ a pillow _—_ and I threw it in his direction.

He chuckled and glanced at us, catching the pillow with ease. "I'll just leave you guys alone to take care of your problem."

He tossed the pillow onto the couch as he exited, but we could still hear his laughter all the way from our spot in the living room.


	17. Flashback Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy Jackson's Nightmares  
> Night of Wednesday  
> From Beginning of Event Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING. Contains some smut. So… Yeah.
> 
> There was a time skip at the beginning of Event Six, so I'm just writing what happened during the time skip. I forgot to put a warning in the last chapter. Uh, sorry about that. But anyway, I remember now! Warning in this chapter so you guys can prepare yourselves for such a scene.

"Please?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because movies don't entertain me. I'll become bored in a split second."

I was trying—and currently failing—to convince Nico to go on a movie date with me this weekend. I literally had to pull him on my lap, but it didn't work, unfortunately. He was reading this book called  _To Kill a Mockingbird_ by Harper Lee. I sighed lightly, wrapping my arms around his waist and resting my chin on his shoulder.

It was going to take a while before Nico would agree to go on a date with me.

"Come on, please? I'll try to find a movie that you like," I begged once again, sliding my hands down Nico's sides. He shifted a bit, and I smirked to myself.

"Percy," he stated firmly, although it sounded to me as if he were whining. "I need to do homework."

My lips tilted slightly downward in more of a pout than a frown. How could I convince him to come with me? And not come as in  _sexual_ come; I can do that later. Actually, I'll be doing that  _very_ soon, but first, I have to convince Nico to go on the movie date with me.

But how?

Actually, speaking of making him come, why don't I just  _seduce_ him into coming with me? Both sexually  _and_  the action of going somewhere. It's a win-win for me! Well, who knew what Nico thought of the situation? I surely didn't. All I knew was that I had to get that book out of his hands.

I smirked and lightly pressed my lips against his ear. This was going to be  _very_ fun.

"Please?" I pleaded huskily by his ear. I partially lifted his shirt up so I would be able to rub his waists without the wretched piece of cloth in the way. Nico's face became tinged with red, and I already knew that my plan was successful.

"Percy," he whined. He was slowly succumbing to my plan, and I truly hoped he would forget about his book.

My gaze eventually found the back of his ear, and my smirk only grew. I stuck my tongue out and slowly, but sensually, licked the back of his ear. I heard a gasp, and something dropped to the floor, which I hopefully assumed was the book. Sorry, Harper Lee. The book was great, just not in this case.

"Please?" I repeated hotly into his ear.

There was a short silence before Nico cried, "Fine! You won, Percy. I'll go on that date with you to the movies, okay?"

I chuckled deeply. "Fine with me. But," my hand slowly wrapped around his noticeable erection through his dark pants, "we have something to take care of here, hm?"

His blush deepened into a darker shade of red. "You know, I'm not the only one," he pointed out with a slight huff.

I gulped as my face heated up. "Shut up and let's get to the fun stuff."

"W-Wait a second!" Nico exclaimed as I pushed him back and pinned him to the bed. "I still have to read that book!"

"It could wait," I growled in a lust-filled and impatient voice. My erection had waited  _long_  enough. "You told me your quiz on part of that book isn't until next Wednesday, remember?"

His jaw tightened, and he looked so adorable when his blush became a darker shade once I straddled him and pinned his hands above his head. The other hand caressed his soft cheek as I hungrily eyed him down, bending down so that our foreheads touched. Damn, when did Emo-looking guys look so fucking sexy to me?

I had absolutely no idea as to when I started to become obsessed with bondage, but my hand had a firm grasp on his two wrists as my free hand did some exploring on things  _other_  than his cheek. A soft moan escaped through Nico's lips, and I smirked to myself.

"The one time you remember something," Nico grumbled, his eyes narrowing up at me.

I chuckled. "It only comes to me when I really want something." I pressed my lips against his ear once more. "And as of right now, I really want you."

Nico's head bent down, and I lifted his chin up until his gorgeous dark brown eyes met mine.

"Don't hide your face from me," I whispered, pecking the tip of his nose.

His hands attempted to break free of its bond, but it only resulted in my grip tightening around his wrists.

He groaned in frustration. "Per—"

I cut him off when I rolled my hips against his. He gasped, his fingers desperately clawing against my hand.

I laughed softly. "No way are you getting out of this."

I lifted his black shirt up to reveal that flawless skin of his. He squirmed underneath me, so I bent down to get a hold of one of his nipples in between my teeth.

"Percy," he moaned. I licked the small bud and he gasped, his heels digging into the mattress. I sucked on the now-hardened nipple as I grinded our clothed erections together.

I let out a breathless moan, playing with the other nipple with my hand. Nico's legs shook with pleasure underneath me as I grinded against him once more.

"Stop teasing me!" Nico whined.

I rolled my eyes, moving my head up to his neck. "When do I  _not_ tease?"

I scraped my teeth against the skin by his collarbone. I lightly sucked it, and his wrists violently shook above his head.

Once I pulled back, I marveled at the beautiful hickey I made on his neck. My eyes met his as a smirk settled on my lips. Nico visibly gulped as I proceeded to hurriedly take his shirt off and use it to tie his hands against the headboard.

Nico tugged on the shirt, but it wouldn't seem to budge. He gritted his teeth together, glaring up at me.

I chuckled. "If you can get out of that, then you can give  _me_ the blowjob I'm about to give you right now."

Nico's eyes widened as his whole face seemed to have turned red. I loved it whenever I made Nico super flustered. It just made him look so cute. The thought of it made my own manhood twitch in impatience.

I trailed kisses down his stomach until I practically ripped off his pants and boxers and threw them down onto the ground to join the novel that Nico had to read for school. Nico tugged and pulled against the shirt, but nothing seemed to have happened. I guessed today was a very good day for me then.

After I finished throwing my own articles of clothing onto the floor until I was completely naked, I positioned myself in front of Nico's delicious cock. I slowly licked my lips, locking my eyes with Nico's. His lips were slightly parted open, and his breathing was a bit ragged from moaning so much.

I glanced back down and took the whole thing into my mouth, and Nico practically screamed my name. I felt the bed move underneath me as Nico violently tugged on the shirt, but nothing happened once again.

I sucked on his penis, running my tongue along the head of it. My gaze flickered up toward Nico's flustered expression as he watched me suck on his own manhood.

I spread his legs apart with one hand and I used my other hand to wrap around my own erection. I pumped my own manhood in a furious motion while releasing Nico's penis with a loud  _pop._

I licked the whole shaft from the base to the very tip, and a long, loud moan came from the boy underneath me.

I panted, my warm breath spreading onto the huge shaft before me. My lips quivered from the pleasurable feel I gave myself, and I kind of wanted to release Nico from his bonds so he would be able to give me a nice handjob. Nico was  _very_ good at giving me those.

I sucked on the head while playing with his testicles with the hand used to spread his legs apart. Nico's legs shook furiously as moan after moan came from the boy beneath me. His heels were deep in the mattress, and I almost stopped what I was doing to watch the result of my actions.

I bobbed my head up and down on the very tip as pre-come leaked from it. I quickly licked it up as the salty taste entered my mouth. Even though it didn't really have a taste, I was somehow addicted to Nico's come. Yeah, I agree, that was a very weird statement but hey, the truth can be very weird sometimes.

"P-Percy," Nico grunted out. I knew what he meant just by saying my name like that. I was on the verge of coming as well.

I sucked on Nico's tip some more, earning me louder and even longer moans from none other than the best boyfriend in the whole world.

I took his whole entire shaft into my mouth and sucked, which apparently sent Nico over the edge.

He cried my name and released into my mouth, and I released right after. There was some semen on my bed, and some of Nico's come was dripping from the corners of my mouth, but I was too tired to care. I crawled up until I was eye-level to Nico, and I practically collapsed onto him after untying his hands.

"You know," Nico began after his breathing became even. "I'm surprised your brother doesn't walk into here and ask us why we're making so much noise."

I laughed. "My mom's taught him about privacy, so he only comes in after he knocks."

Nico looked slightly impressed. "Wow. When I was ten, I was really nosy."

I smiled in amusement. "Now you're too quiet for your own good."

"So what?" Nico said. "Do you  _want_  me to be an annoying and nosy person?"

I shook my head. "No, I'm just saying that—"

A loud knocking sound resonated throughout the room, and we both jumped.

"Hey, are you done yet?" Paul's voice asked through the door. Both of us blushed at the sound of his voice. Well, shit.

"Doing it in broad daylight," Paul muttered more to himself than us. "Come downstairs. Sally wants to talk to you. You better clean up those sheets because I don't want to accidentally touch  _that_  on there!"

His footsteps slowly faded away as Nico and I glanced at each other.

I sheepishly smiled at him. "Sorry we have to go through with this again."

Nico shook his head. "It's fine. At least you were able to make me go to the movies with you."

I grinned and pecked his cheek. "Yeah, I'm pretty happy about that. Now come on, let's get dressed."

I knelt down onto the bedroom floor and threw his clothes onto the bed. I was hoping he caught them because then his black clothes might get some white on them.

After we both got dressed, we linked our hands together as I swung open the door and led Nico downstairs for the most dreaded conversation between a parent and child.


	18. Flashback Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy Jackson's Nightmares  
> Night of Thursday  
> From Ending of Event Ten

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was a time skip in the original Event Ten in The Violin That Started it All. The flashback is what happened during the time skip.

After Nico's complaining about the huge mess I made, which I totally blamed him for since  _he_ was the one who provoked my erection, we began to clean up after we cleaned ourselves with wet paper towels and dressed.

"God Percy, how much did you come?" Nico muttered more to himself even though he said my name. "Goddamn..."

I rolled my eyes. "It was  _your_ fault," I remarked in a teasing tone as I wiped the floor with more paper towels.

"Not it was not!" Nico cried with a huge blush across his face.

I straightened my back, keeping my kneeling position on the ground as I stared at Nico with an eyebrow raised. "Are you  _sure?_ " I smirked. "I think that blush has a different opinion on that." I poked his cheek, but he swatted my hand away.

"Just shut up and keep cleaning," he grumbled as he continued to scrub the toilet seat. I chuckled and bent down to continue my work.

"So," I said after a couple minutes of silence, "does that mean you agree that it was your fault?"

"No!" Nico denied. "Goddamn it Percy, just shut up."

I looked up at him and smirked once more. "Your face is red."

He pouted. "And the floor still has white on it. So keep cleaning."

I laughed lightly before going back to cleaning the floor.

* * *

We threw away the wet paper towels covered in a white substance when we were finally done cleaning. What? I had  _no_ idea where it came from. I was not a part of the white substance going everywhere if you were wondering.  _Psh,_ sounding sarcastic? Since when am I  _ever_ sarcastic?

I pushed open the door of the bathroom, and Nico nodded in appreciation. I smiled as I closed the door, and we both made our way to our table.

"Who are they?" Nico whispered to me, gesturing to the two men who sat at our used-to-be table.

"I'm just wondering where our coffee went." I frowned, scanning the table. The two men were drinking coffee in silence. They both wore plain shirts and pants, and shoes that looked as if they owned them for years. Their hair looked greasy, and one of them had this beard that reminded me of Hagrid's beard from  _Harry Potter._

"Percy," Nico stated firmly with his eyes narrowed at the table. "I'm pretty sure that's our coffee."

My eyes widened as my gaze instantly glued itself to the table. "Wha—No way!"

In the corner of my eyes, I saw him nod slowly. "Yes way, Percy."

I sighed heavily. "What a waste of money."

He shrugged, turning his head to look at me. "I can buy more if you want? I mean, you paid for it this time, so I'll pay for replacements or something."

I frowned, tearing my eyes away from the table where the two presumably homeless men sat. "You sure? You don't have to if you don't want to."

Nico shook his head. "I'd feel bad if you paid  _again._ "

I smirked and chuckled. "Nico di Angelo actually  _feels_ b ad now?"

He rolled his eyes and punched my arm. "Shut up; I love you so of course, I feel bad for you."

My eyebrows rose as my smirk grew. "Say that again for me?"

Nico knit his eyebrows together in confusion. "I'm pretty sure you heard me, Percy."

I laughed lightly. "Just say what you said again."

Nico rolled his eyes. "I said for you to shut up. I—" he stopped short as his eyes widened and a blush spread across his face.

"Sorry, what did you say after you told me to shut up?" I feigned ignorance.

"Just shut up, Jackson." He clenched his teeth and punched my arm, which only made me laugh.

I swung my arm around his shoulders and pulled him closer, kissing his right temple. "You know I love you too, right?"

Nico smiled and turned his head to face me. "I surely hope you do."

I grinned. "Of course I do. I don't think it'll ever end."

"I surely hope it doesn't either." Nico frowned.

I pecked his nose and released my grasp on him. "So, I'm paying."

"Ye—Wait I just told you I would pay!" Nico cried.

I laughed. "I know. I wanted to see if I could actually trick you into getting me to pay."

"Why do you even want to pay?" Nico mumbled.

I shrugged. "Don't know. I feel like it's my role or something in this relationship."

Nico narrowed his eyes at me. "So, your 'role' is to spoil me?"

"Hey, you deserve it after those five years you experienced!" I remarked proudly.

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever. But  _I'm_ still paying, you know."

I pouted. "That's not fair."

"It's not fair if you pay both times," Nico pointed out before walking toward the cash register and ordering again. What? No, I was  _not_ looking at his ass while he walked. No, I'm not being sarcastic! Why do you guys never believe me?

Nico returned, clearing his throat as his slight blush disappeared. He informed me, "The lady said that since our drinks were stolen, we can get new ones without paying."

Both of my eyebrows rose. "Seriously? That's pretty cool." I poked his cheek. "But also, why were you blushing?"

Nico's blush immediately appeared upon his cheeks again. " _Uh,_ " he drawled. "That's an—uh—interesting thing to ask."

I frowned, narrowing my eyes down at him. "What happened over there? I thought you were gay, not bi."

Nico's eyes widened. " _What?_ No! Look, I don't like her, I swear! She just... Asked me why we both went into the bathroom when there's only one toilet in there. And,  _that_ was when she realized that we were dating."

I probably looked completely dumbfounded as I stared down at Nico. "Oh," was all I said.

"Yeah, you may be good-looking, Jackson, but I don't think I'll ever date you!" The lady behind the cash register called to me. How in the world of fucks did she know my name?

"How does she know your name?" Nico furrowed his eyebrows.

"I don't..." I trailed off, glancing back at the lady. She wasn't very old even though Nico and I called her a lady. She was probably still in high school or in her early years of college. She has short, jet black hair, and she wore a brown apron with the store's name across it with the logo. She had a black, button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. The counter blocked her pants and shoes, so I couldn't actually see those. She had three black bracelets with band names on them as well. Her electric blue eyes were what stood out to me the most. It almost reminded me of Jason's eyes.

Wait, doesn't Jason have an older sister?

"Thalia?!" I yelled.

"Thalia?" Nico's head tilted to one side.

"Yep, it's Thalia!" Thalia grinned in our direction. "Didn't recognize me at all? You literally ordered your coffee in front of me, heard my voice as I repeated your order and the amount it costs, and you  _didn't_ know it was me?"

"You just look so unrecognizable without your piercings," I muttered, making Thalia laugh.

"I can't wear those to work! I feel like it'll scare people anyway," she chuckled. "So, Percy, didn't know I was your type."

Nico laughed for some reason, and I blushed, glancing between the two of them. " _What?!_ "

"Doesn't your boyfriend dress just like me, minus the piercings?" She smirked, resting her chin in her palm.

My gaze flicked from Thalia to Nico. "I never actually noticed that."

Thalia laughed. "If only I was a boy, eh? Didn't know you were gay, Percy."

I swung my arm around Nico's shoulders. "I'd only turn gay for this guy."

"That sounded so cheesy," Thalia and Nico said simultaneously, both staring at me.

"Woah, that was weird." Thalia laughed once more. "You seem more like my brother than Jason!"

"Jason's your brother?" Nico questioned.

"Oh, so you know my brother?" Thalia nodded in understanding. "I see. Jason told me of what happened with Annabeth. I had no idea you got together with a guy afterward, though."

I chuckled. "Yeah well, I did."

She grinned. "I can see that  _very_ clearly. So, what happened in the bathroom? I've worked here long enough to know that it's a one-person bathroom." Her grin became a Cheshire cat grin.

Nico and I exchanged glances. Both of our faces had a huge blush across them.

"I think we should be going now! Our coffee seems to be done." I changed the subject, making Thalia laugh even more.

"Oh God! As far as I know, you didn't have public sex with Annabeth! Man, this is great!"

Nico rolled his eyes, making his way toward the counter to get our coffee. "I guess we'll be going then. It was nice meeting you, Thalia."

"Nice meeting you too." She nodded at Nico as he picked up the two cups of coffee. "But, uh, what's your name?"

"Nico. Nico di Angelo," he answered, and Thalia smiled.

"Alright then, it was nice meeting you, Nico. Happy Fourth of July guys!" She grinned. "I'm not off for the holidays until it's four." She sighed longingly and glanced at the clock. "Only about thirty more minutes left."

I chuckled. "You'll live, Thalia. See you later."

Nico walked over to me and handed me my cup of coffee. I thanked him and took hold of his free hand.

"Bye, you lovebirds." She chuckled as we walked out. "Have fun doing whatever you do in each public bathroom."

I laughed as the door closed behind us. "So, what do you want to do now until the fireworks start?"

Nico shrugged, taking a sip of his coffee. "I don't particularly care. Whatever you want."

"Do you just want to walk around until they're about to start?" I suggested, and he nodded.

"Sure, that sounds nice." He smiled up at me, and I couldn't help but kiss his cheek.

"Anything sounds nice with you," I said, and he laughed. God, it was like music to my ears whenever I made him laugh.

"Are you  _always_ this cheesy?" Nico asked with a small smile on his lips.

"Only for you, Nico." I laughed before kissing him again. "I love you."

"I love you too, Percy." Nico pecked me on the nose, making me blush.

I chuckled, and we wandered around until it became dark.


	19. Flashback Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy Jackson's Nightmares  
> Night of Friday  
> From Event Twelve

The last thing I remember was falling down a bunch of stairs.

I was now staring up at the sky. The world felt like it was spinning, and I felt a faint throb around my ankle.  _Someone_ was calling my name, but I didn't feel like getting up. I felt so sick. And not in a good way.

I felt the ground underneath me vibrate from some footsteps, and about a minute later, Jason's head appeared in my view.

"Bro, are you okay?!" Jason asked, completely alarmed.

" _Uh,_ " I drawled for quite a while, unsure of what to say next.

Jason sighed heavily in exasperation. " _Please_  tell me you don't have amnesia. Shit... What's my name?"

" _Uh..._ Thalia Grace?"

Jason lightly kicked me in the chest. "You idiot; stop messing with me! I literally thought you hit your head too hard on the ground or something."

I chuckled. "Uh, do you mind telling me what we were doing?"

Jason furrowed his eyebrows. "What are you  _talking_ about?"

"I'm serious," I stated with a straight face. "What were we doing? Why am I on the ground?"

"Short-term memory loss, huh?" Jason sighed. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"Falling down some stairs."

Jason rolled his eyes, but a smile  _graced_ his lips. Damn, was I clever or what?

"Before that," Jason clarified, and I frowned.

"Playing catch with a football," I replied.

Jason sighed in relief. "So, I guess you didn't forget a lot. That's good."

"Does that mean nothing happened?" I questioned, and he nodded.

"Hopefully." He offered me his hand. "Here, I'll help you up."

I gripped his hand and he pulled me up. I was fine until I put some weight upon my right ankle.

I cried out and my knees buckled. I held onto Jason's shoulder as if it costed my life. It could have, now that I think of it.

"Woah, woah, woah!" Jason took a step back to regain his balance while gripping on my waist so tightly I was surprised I didn't lose weight. "Are you okay?!"

I laughed lightly, my grip on Jason loosening. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"We should get you home," Jason advised, and I nodded.

"That sounds like a great idea." I laughed.

He rolled his eyes. "Shouldn't you be in, I don't know,  _immense_ pain right now?"

I shrugged. "Guess not?"

"Apparently," Jason huffed. "Come on,; I'll help you home."

He swung my arm around his shoulder, and we hobbled awkwardly toward the football to pick it up. Afterward (when Jason made me, the crippled one, hold the football), he helped me into the passenger seat of his car. When Jason climbed into the driver's seat and turned on the radio, a song that I never actually heard before seemed to stick to me like a mouse in a mouse trap. The lyrics replayed over and over in my mind as if they were supposed to mean something to me:

_"Your love is mine for the taking._

_My love is just waiting,_

_To turn your tears to roses._

_I will be the one that's gonna hold you._

_I will be the one that you run to._

_My love is,_

_A burning,_

_Consuming fire._

_No!_

_You'll never be alone._

_When darkness comes I'll light the night with stars._

_Hear my whispers in the dark._

_No!_

_You'll never be alone._

_When darkness comes you know I'm never far._

_Hear my whispers in the dark."_

* * *

When Nico  _finally_  swung open the door, he stared up at us as if we were both circus freaks who accidentally came to the wrong house for a birthday party.

A short silence finally settled between us three until I awkwardly greeted, "Uh, hello?"

"Nico?" Jason questioned in bewilderment.

Did I forget to mention to Jason that Nico lived with me now? Oh well, I can tell him later.,

I chuckled, smiling at him. "We'll explain it to you later, Jason."

"Then, will you explain why you need Jason's help to stand?" Nico asked impatiently with an eyebrow raised.

Jason sighed heavily. "Percy and I went to a park," Jason started to explain. "We were tossing the football back and forth, and I accidentally tossed the football over the stone steps leading up to where we were. Percy over here," he nudged Percy in the side of the rib, "decided to be stupid and run backward to try and catch it."

"Hey!" I exclaimed, clearly offended by his last statement. "You're the one that threw it over there."

"Yeah, sure I did." Jason shrugged nonchalantly as my arm around his shoulders moved as well. "But you don't run backward when trying to catch a football."

I pouted. "Well,  _I'm_  sorry."

Nico only rolled his eyes. "Just come inside and I'll see what I can do."

He stepped to the side as Jason and I went through the doorway and into the living room.

As Jason was helping me get into a comfortable position on the nearby couch, I glanced at the television screen and chuckled. "Of course you would play Call of Duty when I'm away."

Nico rolled his eyes once again and come up to my side, his gaze roaming every inch of my body. I had to admit,; it felt nice to me. "What happened when Percy fell down the stairs?"

"There were only like three stairs, so Percy managed to sprain his ankle," Jason answered.

Nico nodded in understanding, his eyes flickering toward my two ankles. "Thanks for bringing him over, Jason."

Jason shrugged. "No problem." He glanced between Percy and me and said, "I'll just be going now. Don't hurt yourself more, Percy., I know it's tempting when you're alone with your boyfriend." He winked and hurriedly shut the door before I could throw the PS3 remote at him. Damn it...

Nico sighed exasperatedly, shaking his head until the adorable blush on his face unfortunately disappeared. "You can play if you want."

I laughed lightly. "You know me so well, sexy." I scooped the remote off the ground, and instead of throwing it at Jason like I intended to do, I began to enter a game of Free-for-All. It was pretty much a game where every man was for himself against seven other players.

I heard Nico sigh. "Hey," he said, catching my attention.

I hummed in acknowledgment, glancing at him. Good thing the match didn't start yet, or I would've died already.

"Does your ankle hurt at all?" Nico questioned me.

I shook my head back and forth. "No, it doesn't. But looking at it is so gross. My ankles are two different sizes!"

Nico rolled his eyes a third time. "That's wonderful, Percy," he answered sarcastically, making me chuckle.

"You better not be standing when I come back," He warned, shooting a glare my way.

"Yeah, I know," I agreed with a nod.

Nico disappeared into the kitchen, and I was left with laying there, staring up at the ceiling. I couldn't help it, but I felt so bored and useless. I wondered if Nico felt annoyed about having to take care of me...

My heart began to throb. I couldn't just lay here being a damsel in distress. I could heal myself!

I sat up on the couch, but a voice made me freeze all over.

"Perseus fucking Jackson," the voice said in a dangerously calm tone.

I slowly turned toward the source of the voice, smiling innocently. "Sorry, sorry. I just... feel so helpless just laying here, you know?"

"Well, you can't help it." He walked over to me, and I gave up and put myself back down onto the couch. I rested my sprained ankle on top of the pillow Jason set up when he was here, and Nico placed an ice pack onto it. I winced, clenching my teeth together.

"Did that hurt?" Nico asked so gently that my body immediately relaxed.

I shook my head, sending him a reassuring smile. "It was just... surprisingly cold, I guess."

He rolled his eyes for probably the millionth time. "You're such an idiot."

"I am  _your_  idiot." Percy grinned.

"I can't believe you're in such a good mood with a sprained ankle." Nico sighed heavily.

I chuckled. "It takes a lot for me to not be happy, sexy. Especially since I'm with you."

Nico's face instantly turned red, but he hung his head low so his bangs would cover up most of his face. "That was so cheesy."

It took me a few moments to realize what he was even talking about, but I soon laughed. "I didn't even notice. But, hey, it's true! Even if it is cheesy." I chuckled, attempting to sit up, but a short spark of pain stopped me."Ow, what the Hell? iIt didn't hurt earlier."

"It does that sometimes." Nico shrugged. "It's happened to me before. Sometimes I think the injury wouldn't hurt, but the next thing I know I'm slowly dying from the pain. I'll get you pain-relievers if you want."

I frowned."I don't want you doing so much for me. I feel bad."

"Well, I feel horrible that you're injured, so here I am, doing what I can do. I'm going to force you to walk later so your ankle could heal right, just letting you know."

I groaned loudly, letting the back of my head hit the pillow."This is gonna hurt."

"I bet falling down those stairs hurt," Nico remarked.

I rolled my eyes at Nico's statement, lifting myself up by my elbows. "I feel like if I move, I'm gonna be screaming in pain the next second."

"Then don't fucking move," he growled.

"But I want to see your face," I whined. "It's weird talking to a ceiling who has the same voice as my boyfriend."

Nico rolled his eyes while flicking me in the forehead.

"Hey!" I yelped. "Hello? Injury here!" He I gestured wildly to the ankle resting upon the pillow by the end of the couch.

"Flicking your forehead won't make your ankle any worse," Nico pointed out with a shrug. "But next time, Percy, don't walk backward."

I laughed. "I was running backward," I corrected jokingly, but then I suddenly realized I made the statement sound even worse.

He furrowed his eyebrows together. "Percy, that's even worse," Nico deadpanned.

I laughed once again. "Yeah. I realized after I said it. Whoops."

" _Whoops_ ," Nico mocked, making Mme chuckle. He moved the position of the ice pack and another jolt of pain arrived.

I grimaced and Nico tensed as his hand immediately froze. "Sorry, Perce."

I smiled reassuringly at him. It was weird that  _I_  was the one looking up at him now. "It's fine. I know you're trying to make me feel better, so, I guess I'll just have to live with it."

Nico sighed, quickly pecking my forehead. "This is what you get for running backward."

"Well, it wasn't my fault there were stairs there!" I protested like a little child in elementary school despite the pounding in my chest from Nico's short kiss.

Nico rolled his eyes. "You and your excuses."

I chuckled. "Yeah."

His eyes flickered back down to my sprained ankle. "You ready to walk again?"

"What? Oh, Hell no," I rapidly rejected.

"Well, that sucks," Nico put bluntly. "Get up."

Nico tugged on my arm, but I decided to pull him back down and slam his lips against mine. He pulled back after awhile from shock, and I smirked at him.

"Sorry, just had to." I chuckled with my smirk still intact. "It turns me on when you're taking care of me instead."

"Taking care of you as in what I'm doing now or when you have an erection?"

I laughed a bit  _harder_  this time. God, I'm such a genius. "Both actually."

Nico rolled my eyes, and I kind I wondered if Nico's eyes ever got tired. "You are truly an idiot."

I grinned. "And, I am truly  _your_  idiot."


	20. Part 3) Chapter Fifteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's finally Saturday! Wow, those flashbacks brought back some good memories, huh? Well, time to get to reality. This sleepover thing is going to last two chapters or so because it became a lot longer than I anticipated. Woops.

**Annabeth Chase**

* * *

"Tonight I'm so alone

This sorrow takes a hold

Don't leave me here so cold

(Never want to be so cold)

Your touch used to be so kind

Your touch used to give me life

I've waited all this time,

I've wasted so much time

Don't leave me alone

Cause I barely see at all

Don't leave me alone,

I'm...

Falling in the black

Slipping through the cracks

Falling to the depths

Can I ever go back

Dreaming of the way is used to be

Can you hear me?

Falling in the black

Slipping through the cracks

Falling to the depths

Can I ever go back

Falling inside the black.

Falling inside, falling inside

The black"

"Is this the type of music you listen to?" Silena questioned as she grabbed three thin hair ties from her desk. One was blue, one was gray, and one was black.

"It really does speak a message though," I said. "Most songs take a lot more deciphering to see what a song is trying to say, but this one is pretty easy to spot."

Nico narrowed his eyes. "Yes, it is. The meaning makes more sense to me now that I experienced... Stuff." He eyed the hair ties in Silena's hand suspiciously. "What do you plan on doing with those?"

Silena giggled. " _Something,_ " she drawled with a huge grin on her face.

Nico frowned. "I am  _very_ terrified now. What are you  _doing_ with those?"

Silena bounced back to sit next to Nico. "You had a sister right?"

"Yeah," Nico muttered. "So what?"

"Do you know how to tie hair?" Silena tilted her head to the side.

"Yes?" Nico answered as a question.

"Long hair?"

"Yes?"

"Can you... Braid hair?"

Nico sighed exasperatedly. "Is  _that_ where this is going? You want  _me_ to braid  _your_ hair."

I chuckled. "Obviously, Nico. I thought you were smarter than this."

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

"Braid my hair!" Silena demanded like a little child, shoving the blue hair tie into Nico's hands.

Nico stared down at it as if it were some foreign object that dropped down from the sky. "Why me?"

"I want to see how well you can braid hair!" Silena exclaimed.

"But... You can't even  _see_ the back of your head where the braid is."

"And that's what hand mirrors are for!" Silena countered with a grin. "Come on.  _Please?_ "

"Why not Annabeth?" Nico frowned. "I don't feel like it. It's been a while anyway; it'll probably turn out really badly."

"Because it'll be different if I braid her hair," I stated.

Nico knit his eyebrows together. "How would it be different? Silena's hair is going to be braided either way right?"

"Well yeah but it'll be  _different,_ " Silena said, making Nico sigh heavily.

"I don't get it.  _How_ is it going to be different? Girls are just too complicated..."

"Maybe that's why you're gay," I joked, which made Nico smile. Even if it was a tiny smile, it was still a pretty good accomplishment.

"It  _is_ why I'm gay. I just don't find girls very attractive either."

Silena dramatically gasped, placing a hand over her chest where her heart resided. "Hurtful! You always told me I looked pretty. Were those all lies then?" Tears prickled at the corners of her eyes. I smiled to myself. Of course, someone in drama class like Silena would be able to make herself cry whenever she wanted.

Nico looked completely dumbfounded and I almost wanted to laugh at the sight no matter how mean that sounded.

Nico blinked blankly. "Are you... Crying?"

"Doesn't it look like it?" She sniffed, wiping an arm across her eyes.

Nico sighed exasperatedly once more as he started to catch on to the fact that Silena was acting. "Fine. I'll braid your hair, alright?"

"Yay!" Silena's depressed mood immediately disappeared as a grin replaced her pout.

He rolled his eyes and put the hair tie around his wrist. "Of course it was fake."

Silena giggled, turning around and swinging her hair around her shoulders so Nico would be able to braid it. He ran his fingers through her hair to collect it all, and I saw the slightest shiver come from Silena. I narrowed my eyes. Maybe I was just imagining things? I couldn't overthink such a simple action. Overthinking could lead to false accusations.

As Nico was separating part of her hair into three strands, I stood up from my ottoman and made my way toward Silena. I leaned against the back of the couch and glanced at her. "Hey, Silena," I began, grabbing her attention.

"Yeah?" she asked, looking at me from the corner of her eyes.

"Do you have any more hair ties?" I questioned, smiling to myself.

"I do, actually." She grinned, handing me the black hair tie.

I chuckled. "Why thank you very much."

Nico's gaze switched between the back of Silena's head and me. "I have a feeling you guys are planning something that I'm not going to agree with."

"Why is that?" I smirked at him, wrapping the black hair tie around my wrist.

"What are you doing with that hair tie?" Nico asked slowly, glaring at my wrist with the hair tie around it.

I stopped when I was behind Nico. "Did you know that your hair is long enough to braid?"

Nico frowned. "Don't tell me—"

"I'm not going to tell you. I'm going to  _show_ you."

"That sounded a lot more seductive than it was supposed to be."

I laughed. "Maybe it was  _supposed_ to sound seductive."

"I'm pretty sure I just stated that I was gay," Nico said matter-of-factly.

I sat down behind him on the couch and tugged lightly on his hair. "True enough."

" _Please_  don't braid my hair," Nico pleaded, attempting to move his head away from my hands.

"The more you keep doing that, the more time spent on braiding Silena's hair," I remarked, and he sighed.

He stopped. "I would totally take your wrists and flip you over the couch."

"You can try," I challenged. "It would also mean that you have to re-braid Silena's hair."

Nico's teeth clenched together. "You fucking suck."

"Silena does that many times, actually." I laughed as I began to braid Nico's hair.

"Hey!" Silena cried. "I can hear you!"

"I think she realizes that," Nico said, making both Silena and I laugh.

"Hey, hey, Annabeth. Can I braid your hair when Nico's done with mine?" Silena half-asked and half-begged.

I chuckled. "Sure. Whatever you want."

"Yay!" Silena cheered.

"Is braiding my hair even going to work?" Nico sighed, adding his final touches to Silena's classic French braid. He removed the blue hair tie from his wrist and began to tie the small, remaining strands of her hair.

"It will," I replied. "It's long enough, anyway."

Nico groaned. "I really need to cut my hair soon."

"I think it looks fine." I examined Nico's hair. "A little trimming wouldn't hurt though." I ran a hand along Nico's hair. "And your hair is s _uper_ soft like jeez. What kind of shampoo are you using?"

Nico chuckled. "Maybe I should just keep it a secret."

Silena cried, "Nico, you're killing us here! Your hair is like, amazingly soft!"

"Is it really?"

"It is!" Silena answered strongly. "It's super smooth and soft and silky."

Nico released his hold on Silena's hair and she stood up, feeling the shape of the braid with her hand. "How does it look?" She turned around for us to see, and my mouth almost dropped to the floor.

"Nico... You seriously have to be a hair designer when you grow up, okay?" I said as I stared at the perfectly flawless braid in front of me. "Wow. Your sister was really lucky to have you to braid her hair."

"Was she?" It was as if I could hear Nico frown. "She always complained about the sloppy job I did. But now that I think back on it... I can't tell if she was messing with me."

"She was probably just messing with you," I said. "You are  _way_ too talented for hair-braiding."

Silena proceeded to start braiding my hair as I almost finished Nico's hair. His hair was a bit too short to make one giant braid going down the middle, so I decided to make two braids.

Once I tied the last braid using another black hair tie that Silena gave me before she began to work with my hair, Nico flopped down onto the couch, resting his feet on my lap.

"It's weird being able to see everything without hair in my face." Nico's eyes darted all over the place as if he hadn't seen this part of the world.

"Then maybe you should style your hair so that it's not on your face all the time," I suggested, but he shook his head.

"It's too much work to get up early in the morning just so I could look better," Nico said. "I honestly don't give a flying fuck about what I look like. I literally roll out of bed, brush my teeth, and put on pants before I go to school."

"You don't even eat breakfast?!" Silena cried.

"No. I never have the time since I wake up so late," Nico answered. "And anyway, I don't get hungry in the mornings."

"Well, now I know what we're eating tomorrow!" Silena exclaimed. "It's going to be a huge breakfast full of pancakes with lots and lots of syrup and butter. Ooh and I should go buy sausages and bacon at the store before it closes. Then maybe I should buy blueberries and strawberries, and maybe even waffles!"

"That sounds like some kind of banquet for a king," Nico remarked sarcastically.

"Then maybe tomorrow,  _you're_  our king, Nico!" Silena exclaimed.

Nico scoffed. "What kind of king would I even be? People rarely notice me."

"How about the Ghost King, since people don't notice you very much?" I suggested, and Nico's eyebrows rose.

"That actually sounds like a pretty cool name for a king," he commented. "The Ghost King, huh?"

"We should totally start calling Nico that." Silena giggled. "By the way, Annabeth, I'm done with your hair. It looks perfect!"

"Probably not as great as the braid Nico did," I pointed out as I turned to glance at Silena, who grinned.

"Probably, yeah," she agreed.

"Guys, I'm not  _that_  great at braiding hair," Nico said tiredly.

"Nico, are you kidding? That braid looks like it should belong to a professional model," I stated firmly.

"No, it does not." Nico waved the compliment away.

I sighed. "One day you'll see how great your braiding skills are."

"Will I?" Nico smirked up at me.

"Oh yeah, you will."

"Is that a challenge, Annabeth Chase?"

"You better bet your whole life it is, Nico di Angelo, or should I say,  _Ghost King._ "

Silena chuckled from behind me. "Hey, I'm going to go to the store to buy Ghost King his super huge breakfast tomorrow. Do you guys want to come with me?"

I shrugged and glanced at her. "Why not? We'd be able to ask Ghost King what he would want to eat while we're there, too."

"Oh, that's right!" Silena agreed. "That means Ghost King has to come, too!" She jumped off the couch excitedly and tugged on Nico's wrist. "Come on! Let's go!"

"Can I at least take these braids out of my hair?"

"No way!" Silena tugged until I heard a loud  _thump_.

"Thanks for considering my feelings," Nico grumbled to himself as he slowly sat up from the floor, rubbing the side of his shoulder.

"Let's go, let's go, let's go!" Silena hurried us to the front door of her house as she grabbed her car keys and made her way to the house's driveway.

I glanced at Nico. "You know, you can take out those braids if you want. I prefer you having your messy bed head."

Nico pulled at the hair ties at the end of his hair. He shook his head rapidly from side to side, and when he stopped, he sighed. "Thank whoever is watching up there."

I laughed and climbed into the back of Silena's white Mercedes, allowing Nico to ride in the passenger's seat.

Once we were all inside and Silena locked the car doors, she turned on the radio.

"Find a song that you like, Ghost King!"

"Are you sure?" he asked as Silena backed the car out of the driveway.

"Yeah! Go ahead," Silena insisted, pulling the stick shift upwards so the car would move forward and out of the little community that she lived in.

Nico frowned and flipped through a bunch of radio stations until he found one that he liked. He relaxed back into his hair as I stared out the window to watch the world flash by. The lyrics of the song became clearer to me as well:

"Prison gates won't open up for me

On these hands and knees I'm crawlin'

Oh, I reach for you,

Well I'm terrified of these four walls

These iron bars can't hold my soul in

All I need is you,

Come please, I'm callin'

And, oh, I scream for you

Hurry, I'm fallin'

I'm fallin'..."


	21. Part 3) Chapter Sixteen

**Percy Jackson**

* * *

"Percy!"

"Yeah?" I called back to my mom from my bedroom upstairs. I spun my pencil around chronically in my hand as I stared down at my novel for my English class. Why did authors have to include stupid symbols that had to mean certain things? Why couldn't they just write for the plot? People just  _had_  to make things more complicated for me, huh? Maybe I should just go ask Paul about my homework since he's an English teacher, too.

My mom soon appeared at my open doorway. She looked so...  _Tired_ for some odd reason.

I raised an eyebrow at her, waiting for an explanation. The only reaction she had was a light tint of pink that appeared on her cheeks. I almost wanted to laugh—oh wait, I did laugh.

"And you make fun of  _me_ for being so hormonal!" I managed in between laughs, wiping at the tears that formed at the corner of my eyes.

She only sighed exasperatedly. "Percy, can you do me a favor?"

"Favor?" I questioned, taking deep breaths to restore the air that I recently lost from laughing too hard.

"Can you run to the store and buy some ingredients for me? You could also buy some snacks for yourself if you'd like," Sally asked, and of course, I nodded. I would  _never_  reject my mom whenever she asked me a favor, especially a favor as stupid as going to the grocery store for her. I mean, at least I get to avoid my homework.

I shrugged, dropping my blue mechanical pencil onto my wooden desk. I spun my cushioned swivel chair around and stood up. "Sure, why not? What do you need?"

My mom instantly grinned. "Thank you so much, Percy. Come downstairs; I'll give you the list."

* * *

The automatic doors slid to the side for me, and I stepped inside. It was much warmer than it was outside in the fall weather, and I was glad to be surrounded by warmth and with noises from people's quiet conversations instead of the noise of my chattering teeth. I  _really_  should've listened to my mom when she advised me to bring a jacket. Why were moms always right?

I rubbed at my arm as the goose bumps started to fade away. I sighed quietly to myself and shoved my hand into my pocket, digging for the small piece of paper that my mom used to write the ingredients that she desired. I pulled it out and quickly scanned the list before making my way toward the aisles that I assumed would have the necessary items for me.

I walked toward the dairy section while looking here and there around the small supermarket. There was a mother trying to quiet down her two children; one was in the shopping cart and one was hanging off the side while the mom tried to pry the second child off. Well,  _that_  perfectly described my relationship with my mom when I was little. Actually, it's  _still_  pretty accurate right now.

The next group of people that I saw was two boys that were probably around the age of twelve. They were laughing and dropping boxes full of condoms into people's carts when the victim wasn't looking, almost like Grover and me.

The last group that I could see from where I was located was a couple. One was a boy, and one was a girl. Why they were both here I didn't really want to know. Maybe they were here for some of those condom boxes too? Or maybe they just decided to take a lovely walk together and see all the beautiful sights such as the dairy and breakfast section in a nearby grocery store.

Sounds like some stupid thing that I'd do for Nico...

I shook my head and sighed heavily. I thought I got over him, but I guess I didn't. Then again, it's only been a few days. It wouldn't just magically disappear in just a few days. Not for a certain guy named Perseus Jackson.

My heart was twisted into knots now, and I felt like throwing up and dying in a corner. I felt so heavy, and suddenly, I didn't seem so happy anymore.

_Nico..._

I shook my head again, and I was almost tempted to slap myself in the face. I couldn't think of him. I could worry about him later. As of right now, I had to focus on getting the necessary products for my mom. I also had to finish my homework, but I didn't really care about finishing it. Sure it was due tomorrow, but I had a few more hours. What was with the rush?

I grasped the piece of paper in my hand even tighter than before, and I continued on my way to get the milk, which was the first thing on my mom's list.

I walked toward the milk, and I found the usual six million brands for milk. Please note the sarcasm; there wasn't literally six million brands for milk. Actually, who even knows anymore? I surely don't.

It was when I was looking at the brands of milk that I immediately regretted ever agreeing to come here in place of my mom.

I heard some laughter somewhere farther down the back aisle I was in. I turned to see who it was, and my eyes almost fell right out of their eye sockets.

It just  _had_  to be today. Today just  _had_  to be the day my mom was planning to go to the grocery store. Today just  _had_  to be the day that my mom and Paul have sex. Today just  _had_  to be the day that water polo practice was canceled so I was home on Saturday instead of practicing. It just  _had_  to be today.

Standing there a few meters away was none other than Silena, Annabeth, and of course,  _Nico di Angelo._

I wanted to bolt right out of there. I wanted to just grab some random liter of milk and run as far away as I could for the next item on the list.

But of course, it doesn't work that way. Not for a certain guy named Perseus Jackson.

Annabeth caught my gaze and I immediately froze when my hand was on some random liter of milk. I stared at the liter of milk that was in my hand from the corner of my eyes. It wasn't even the brand that my mom asked me to get.

We had a stare down for what seemed like a century long, but she finally mouthed the words: "Come with me." She also wiggled her index finger up and down to express her words in actions because we both knew that I was pretty bad at reading people's lips. But hey, I was getting better. Don't expect me to understand what you're saying if you mouth some gigantic monologue though.

She talked to Silena and Nico, but I couldn't understand what she was telling them. Nico nodded while Silena cheerfully exclaimed, "Okay!"

Annabeth eyed me to signal that she was ready, and she walked toward some aisle that I assumed was secluded. I trailed after her, careful to not let Silena or Nico spot me.

I took one step into the aisle, and Annabeth harshly tugged onto my arm. I stumbled a bit, catching myself before I could actually tumble over.

"What are you  _doing_  here? Annabeth hissed at me.

I took a cautious step back, raising my hands in surrender. "I had no idea you guys were here, I swear!"

She sighed. "There would've been no way you would've known we were here unless Silena told someone, who told you. I hardly doubt Nico would tell anyone, and I didn't tell anyone either."

"Look," I began, "no one told me you guys would be here. My mom asked me to go here to buy some stuff for her since she was tired."

My mouth was working faster than my brain was, but at least I was saying stuff that actually made sense. I was pretty much panicking. Was I afraid of Nico finding me?

Annabeth pinched the bridge of her nose. "That actually sounds like a believable story, so I believe you." She placed a hand on her hip, resting her weight on one leg. "So, now that you're here, do you plan on confronting Nico?"

I shook my head. "I don't think I'm ready..."

She raised an eyebrow. "Why not? When I dragged you with me to talk to him on Tuesday, you seemed fine after a few minutes!"

I frowned. "Well yeah, maybe I did. But, Nico after school on Tuesday..." My head hung low. My gaze was on the ground, but I could clearly see what happened after school on Tuesday after I worked up the guts to break up with Caly. "He kissed me."

Now Annabeth looked completely shocked. "What?!" She cried in a loud whisper so she wouldn't attract Silena's and Nico's attention, much to my relief.

I nodded. "Yeah. After that, I realized that I miss Nico so much more than what I thought." I tore my gaze from the floor and stared up at Annabeth. "Please help me win him back. Please."

Annabeth nodded firmly, and I was glad that there was no hesitation or reluctance. "Of course, Percy. I'd gladly help you. I liked it back when you guys were together. It was as if it were meant to be. I'm not mad at you for our breakup anymore. I'm actually... Glad that we broke up, Percy."

I smiled. "I'm glad you feel that way Annabeth."

Someone cleared their throat behind me, and I whirled around. My eyes instantly widened once more, and my body went rigid. There wasn't a liter of milk to hold onto this time either.

"You can't lie to the master of all lies, Annabeth." Nico turned to face me, his piercing dark brown eyes coming into contact with my sea green ones. He was staring at me, but his question was directed toward the surprised girl standing right behind me.

Nico tilted his head to the side, staring at me with an emotionless expression. "Hiding something from me?"


	22. Part 3) Chapter Seventeen

**Percy Jackson**

* * *

_Shit, shit, shit, shit,_ shit.

I wanted to faint from what would happen once we told Nico what we were talking about. I also wanted to faint from how beautiful he was, but that wasn't the point at the moment.

He stared at us with the blankest expression I had ever seen. Although, I saw a lot of empty expressions from Nico, but that wasn't the point at the moment either.

"Well?" Nico asked impatiently, glancing between the both of us.

"Nico, Percy has something to say,  _right?_ " Annabeth eyed me, and I blinked blankly.

"Woah, woah,  _woah, excuse me?_ " I raised an eyebrow at Annabeth in a sassy manner. " _What_ am I doing?"

She rolled her eyes. She came up to me and placed a hand on my shoulder. Annabeth whispered, "Just talk to him, alright?"

"Can I?" My shoulders immediately became tense from the thought of saying one word wrong.

"You can, Percy. Stop being such a pussy." She walked out of the aisle before winking at me in a teasing manner.

"I am  _not_ a pussy!" I yelled at her, and then I realized there were probably five million kids with their parents at the grocery store. Oh well; they would have to hear the word sooner or later.

I turned my head back to Nico, who had an eyebrow raised in confusion, but his eyes sparkled in amusement.

"What are you doing?" Nico asked bluntly.

I chuckled nervously, flashing him a sheepish smile. "Nothing."

He narrowed his eyes. "It's like you were born and then dropped in a span of ten seconds. No wait, make that five seconds."

"My mom would never drop me!" I retorted.

He shrugged. "Then maybe you were just born like a freak."

I sighed heavily. "Well thanks for that, sexy."

And, oh look! The one word that I said to mess everything up.

I didn't  _mean_ for that nickname to go running out of my mouth like that. I swear, it was an accident! I thought I got rid of the habit of calling him that. I mean, I called him "Nico" in previous conversations right? Why did I call him that?  _Why?_

Nico scoffed. "Still haven't gotten rid of that nickname?"

I gulped. Was he just  _pretending_ to not be mad? God, I couldn't tell. He really was the king of all liars. Was he acting? Was he actually  _not_ angry? What did I say next?

I gulped again. Maybe I was just overreacting. I've never been so worked up over anyone before. Damn, it was pretty stressful.

_Just act like you would normally do,_ I told myself over and over again in a chronic fashion. I seemed to be getting more nervous as each second passed, but I tried to ignore the pounding of my heart against my chest. Really, I honestly tried.

I shrugged, putting up one of my famous smiles. "I guess not, huh? I thought I did, but I thought wrong."

Nico frowned, narrowing his eyes at me as if he could just  _sense_ that something was up. Instead of asking me if there was something wrong, to my relief, he just replied, "Yeah, guess not. What are you doing here, anyway?"

"My mom told me to get some stuff for her since she was tired from just having—"

In a blur of black, Nico slammed his hand against my mouth. Before I could ask as best as I could why he was doing such a thing, I heard two children loudly talk about something their parent (or whoever was watching them) got. I mean, I wasn't complaining; Nico was pretty close to me, and it was  _very_  nice.

"I get it," Nico hissed. "Do you not realize how many kids are here and you're just blurting out this shit?"

"Look who's talking,  _shit,_ " I snapped back as best as I could with his hand covering my mouth.

"Oh, so I'm  _shit_ now?" Nico glared venomous daggers at me, and I did the same.

Someone cleared their throat behind us, and we both whirled around to find the parent of the two children. Well, I hope it was their parent because they all looked  _extremely_ related.

Nico ripped his hand from my mouth and I rushed to say an apology.

"Sorry about that!" I smiled courteously. "We're really sorry about that. We didn't mean to do that in front of you and your kids."

The parent smiled and nodded right before Nico grabbed my wrist and dragged me away.

Once we were in another empty aisle, I remarked, "You really don't care about people, huh?"

Nico shrugged. "I've never really cared for people is all."

"If you didn't care, then why did you cover my mouth for the kids right before I said the word 'sex'?" I raised an eyebrow as Nico frowned.

"Because I thought that maybe  _you_ would've cared," Nico snapped.

I chuckled. "I guess that's true."

Nico only rolled his eyes, sighing exasperatedly.

A moment of silence came, and it was then that I realized something.

"Hey, Nico?"

"What?"

"If you didn't care about anyone," I began to say, "then why did you cover my mouth for the kids? Didn't you say because you thought I would care?"

Nico's frown deepened. "What of it?"

"If you covered my mouth because I would care, then doesn't that mean you care about me?"

Even if it was the lightest tint I had ever seen, I could still see Nico's blush. It made me just a bit happy that he would still turn red at something I would say, even if it was just something that I pointed out. For the first time in a long time, I actually felt pretty smart.

Nico gritted his teeth. "When did you suddenly get smart?"

I chuckled, shrugging. "Who knows?"

He rolled his eyes at me once again. "So," he started, "are you planning on dating anyone else now that Caly's gone?"

I smirked. "You know I'm still trying to win your heart back."

Nico shrugged. "You know you've already won it back right? You've just got to try a little harder to make my grudge against you in the back of my mind disappear."

I frowned. "When will that be?"

"When you figure out a way where I can trust you again," Nico stated before he walked away and out of the aisle.


	23. Part 3) Chapter Eighteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I lied. The sleepover chapters are going to take way more than just two chapters.

**Annabeth Chase**

* * *

"Percy was there?!"

"Yes, Silena.  _He was there_ ," Nico answered for the millionth time. He sighed exasperatedly, and I already knew that he was a thousand percent done with Silena's repetitive question.

Silena whipped her head around so that it faced Nico, who was currently sitting in the passenger seat next to her. "Was Percy  _really_ there?"

" _Please_ keep your eyes on the road," Nico demanded tiredly.

"Sorry, sorry!" She turned back around and continued to drive properly.

"And he was there, Silena," Nico answered once more. "You just didn't see him. Remember when I told you I would go find Annabeth when she suddenly disappeared?"

Silena nodded, keeping her concentration on driving us without anything bad happening.

"Well, Annabeth was talking to Percy," Nico finished. "What were you guys talking about anyway?"

I shrugged even though Nico couldn't see it from where he sat. "Just talking to each other again since we hadn't talked in a while."

"Uh-huh," Nico pronounced slowly. "Didn't I say you couldn't lie to the king of all liars?"

"I'm pretty sure Percy's managed to outwit you at least once," I remarked.

Nico sighed once again. "How'd you know?"

"Well," I started, "Percy seems to know you really well, doesn't he?"

Nico shrugged. "I guess he does."

Maybe this was the time to try and convince Nico to date Percy again? I knew with how Percy acted that he really wanted Nico back with him. I was pretty good at seeing if someone was lying. Well, except for Nico.

Nico was absolutely  _impossible_ to decipher. When I first met him months ago, he was the first person to ever appear mysterious to me. He was the only person I could never figure out. Nico was just too good at lying, and I wasn't very sure if that was a good talent or a bad one.

"He probably knows every aspect about you," I pretended joke when really all I wanted to do was put that thought in Nico's mind that Percy knew Nico very well.

"Percy is pretty stupid," Silena pointed out. "Knowing someone really well takes a lot of work for a guy like him."

I smiled to myself. Silena actually figured out what I was up to.

From the review mirror, I could see Nico narrow his eyes. He probably suspected the both of us. I thought he was going to ask us what Silena and I were trying to do, but instead, he only nodded and went along with it.

"Do you ever think of getting back together with Percy?" Silena questioned Nico, keeping her gaze on the street.

A long silence soon followed after the question except for the engines belonging to the cars from outside and from the car we all sat in at that moment. We passed by multiple buildings that seemed to go by slowly, where really we were driving considerably fast if you observed the cars from the sidewalk or something. It was the weird thing about cars; time seemed to slow down whenever you were in a car, but on the outside, you seem to travel a lot faster than it looks from the inside.

I gazed out the window at the slow-moving scenery. Car after car passed by. Most of them were only occupied by one person. Only some of them had their capacity full. One of the cars sounded like a party was going on in there, and Nico rolled down the window and yelled for them to "Shut the fuck up." Quoted directly from Nico.

After a while when we arrived onto Silena's driveway, Nico answered, "I don't know."

"Huh?" Silena tilted her head to the side after her seatbelt retracted back to its original spot before it protected her. She pulled on the emergency brake so that the car wouldn't roll down the driveway and into the street. That would've been pretty bad.

"Just answering your question," Nico replied before shutting the car door behind him and entering the house before us.

Silena sighed exasperatedly, turning around in the driver's seat to face me. "I hope they get back together."

I nodded. "I hope so too."

"Wonder how long it'll take for Nico to realize how much Percy truly loves him," Silena said.

I raised an eyebrow as a thought suddenly made its way into my mind. "Wait, I thought you were angry at Percy for breaking up with Nico."

She shrugged. "I was until I found him at the park on Thursday."

"What were you doing at the park on Thursday? Was Nico there or something?"

Silena shook her head. "Nico wasn't there. I came home from school because Nico managed to escape from me and hide. I figured he'd be by that tree he was always at in that park. But when I got to that tree, Percy was sitting there instead." Her blue eyes became clouded. "He was crying when I found him. He seemed so sad and... And regretful." She smiled at me. "I probably should've seen Percy's side of the story before getting angry at him. You probably did that, huh?"

I nodded. "It was the first thing I did when you told me what happened."

Silena nodded in comprehension. "I truly hope they get back together again just like before. Percy needs Nico just as much as Nico needs Percy."

I smiled. "They really do." I glanced toward the window of the car. "We should probably get out now. Nico's probably waiting for us so the front door can be unlocked."

Silena's eyes widened. "Oh yeah! I totally forgot about that!" She giggled before rushing to get outside after grabbing her purse.

I rolled my eyes and smiled at how hurried Silena was. She almost closed the door on her bag.

I exited the car, shutting the door behind me. I heard the car lock itself before I glanced toward the walkway leading to Silena's front door to her house. She was shoving the car keys into one of the pockets on her purse before grinning at me and practically skipping toward the entrance of the house where Nico was most likely waiting.

I chuckled before following after Silena.


	24. Part 3) Chapter Nineteen

**Annabeth Chase**

* * *

"How is the door already unlocked?"

Silena huffed, placing her hands on her hips and shifting her weight upon one leg. "I don't know."

I shrugged. "Well, Nico's probably inside by now so why don't we go ask him?"

Silena nodded. "Okay!"

I allowed Silena to step inside the house before I did. I slid my shoes off and placed them next to the door along with Silena before making our way to the living room.

Of course, Nico was sprawled out on one of the couches. He was staring up at the ceiling deep in thought. He had a distant, yet sad, look in his dark brown eyes, and I had the suspicion that he was thinking of a certain green-eyed, black-haired boy.

I didn't feel like breaking Nico's train of thought. Although, it seemed as if Nico was concentrated so deeply on his thoughts that if I screamed at the top of my lungs, Nico still wouldn't have heard me.

"Nico!" Silena cried. He glanced over at her, slowly raising an eyebrow.

"Why are you yelling so loudly?" Nico asked wearily, placing his hands behind his head.

"How did you get in here?" Silena interrogated. "I thought I locked the door..."

Nico smirked, reached a hand into his pockets, and revealed a paper clip that was now shaped as a thin, straight piece of silver metal. "Thought you'd never ask. I picked your lock."

"Why do you know how to pick locks?" I sighed heavily at Nico's answer as Silena's eyes pretty much bulged out of their eye sockets.

He shrugged. "Don't know."

I frowned down at him. "I know you're lying, Nico."

He glared back at me. "No, I'm not."

I rolled my eyes at his stubbornness. "I can tell you're lying."

"How?" Nico challenged. "I honestly don't know why I can pick locks."

"No one would just  _suddenly_ know how to pick locks," I answered. "Someone would need a specific reason for knowing how to pick locks."

Nico sighed loudly. "What if I don't feel like telling you the reason?"

Silena pouted. "Why don't you want to tell us?"

He shrugged, staring up at the ceiling as if reliving the memory. "Maybe because my eleven year-old self was just too stupidly ignorant."

" _Stupidly ignorant_ ," I repeated slowly, my mouth forming a small, amused smile.

"Hey, when I was eleven, I was really stupid," Nico stated. "Imagine an eleven year-old without any parents or any siblings."

"Wasn't your dad still alive though?" Silena remarked, leaning against the backside of the couch.

Nico scoffed. "He was, but it wasn't like he ever took care of me or anything."

Silena nodded slowly in understanding. "Right." She grimaced slightly as if it happened to her.

"But anyway, why do you know how to pick locks?" I asked Nico again, who sighed loudly at the question.

"Do I  _have_ to tell you?" Nico huffed.

"Of course you have to tell us!" Silena exclaimed. "We're your best friends! You can tell us everything, can't you?"

Nico shrugged. "I don't know. Can I?"

"Yes, you can!" Silena reached over and shook Nico's shoulder violently. "Tell us, okay?"

He frowned, glaring at Silena. "Haven't you heard of privacy?"

Silena waved her hand. "Oh please. Just tell me?" She pouted.

I chuckled. "You should tell Silena before she goes crazy," I suggested.

Nico rolled his eyes. "There was this guy named Minos. He was this guy who always bullied me when I was eleven."

"Why didn't you tell anyone?" Silena stared down at him sympathetically.

"I didn't have any friends," Nico put bluntly. "I never did, and I thought I'd never have any. Minos pretended to be my friend at first. I never really liked him. I had suspicions of him, so I never actually trusted him. Then he started becoming harsher toward me. He yelled at me, but it happened about a year after my sister died, so I never actually had any emotion. I threw it all away. Whenever Minos threatened me, I was completely unfazed.

"Then there came a time when he started to beat me up. For a year I suppose."

"A year?" I gasped. "That's a terribly long time Nico."

"I know." Nico shrugged. "I had to sneak into my father's room to steal money from him so I could heal myself."

"That's why you know how to pick locks, isn't it?" I raised an eyebrow at Nico as all the jigsaw pieces started to fit together.

He nodded. "My father's room was locked. I snuck into there when it was night time while my dad was sleeping. I never actually saw what was in his room..." Nico trailed off sorrowfully as if he now knew what was in his dad's bedroom.

"Did he ever find out about you sneaking into there?" Silena asked, making Nico flinch visibly.

"Y-Yeah," he stuttered. "I... I don't want to talk about it."

He chewed on his bottom lip while Silena and I exchanged glances. We both knew not to push the topic whenever it involved his dad.

"So," I started, beginning to change the subject, "why did Minos pretend to be your friend?"

Nico shook his head, gazing up at the ceiling. "I don't really know. At one point, he started beating me up, saying how impatient he was and what a waste it was to pretend to be my friend." His eyes flickered between the two of us. "Will you two..." He shook his head once more. "Never mind, forget it."

Silena practically jumped over the couch and landed onto Nico. "We'd never!"

"Do you—" Nico stopped to gasp for breath from Silena's football tackle. "Do you even know what I'm talking about?"

I grinned, walking over to Nico and ruffling his hair. "We'd never leave you, Nico."

He smiled, but I could see in his eyes that he didn't believe us. Maybe it was because Percy said the same thing to him.

"Thanks, guys," Nico said, even though I already knew that it was a lie.

A completely false truth.


	25. Part 4) Chapter Twenty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm bringing in a POV that has never made an appearance before, which also starts Part 4… Part 4 is really short by the way. Well, I'm planning it to be.

**Silena Beauregard**

* * *

We sat in silence. I kept playing with my braided hair that Nico had done. Nico stared up at the ceiling as if it had the answers to all of his problems. I wish it actually did so that Nico would feel a bit better.

Nico had been through so much in previous years... I couldn't even believe that he went through it all without having any friends or family members to support him. I didn't think I would ever make it through what Nico has done alone. It seemed like a miracle to me. I always had friends around me, and then I met Nico who has never had a friend before. It shocked me even more to learn that Nico  _wanted_ to be left alone without any friends.

I glanced back at Nico who was still staring up at the ceiling, and I sighed quietly to myself so no one would be able to hear me. I felt so sympathetic for Nico, but at the same time, I didn't want to because Nico hated pity. And, I didn't want Nico to hate me.

Yeah, you could say I accidentally fell in love with Nico di Angelo.

I kind of knew how Nico felt now: loving someone whom you were one-hundred percent positive wouldn't love you back because of his or her sexuality. I mean, yeah I still loved Beckendorf, but... Oh man, I'm just confusing myself now! Love is really a frustrating thing, huh?

It was kind of funny when I tried to hint at Percy's crush on him, but Nico kept thinking that he was afraid of him. That seemed like such a long time ago. Oh wait a minute, it was! How long ago was it..? Nine months? Is January all the way to September nine months? I hoped it was.

I cleared my throat. "Isn't it quiet all of a sudden or is it just me?"

Nico raised an eyebrow, slowly turning his head to look at me. Gosh, I could see how Percy fell in love with Nico even though Percy was originally straight. I mean, it seemed  _impossible_ not to fall in love with Nico if you were around him for a certain amount of time. I kind of wondered what Annabeth thought of him then? Maybe she only thought of Nico as a little brother or something because he ended up taking her boyfriend away. Does Annabeth hold any grudges on Nico because of that? Who knows? Maybe I can ask her later.

"Well, what  _do_ you want to do then?" Nico questioned drowsily. Nico always seemed to have such a lack of energy... I kind of wanted to change that, but I didn't know what to do.

I shrugged, and Nico smiled in amusement.

"What?" I half-whined, half-asked.

Nico shook his head. "Nothing. It's just that... You always seem to know what to do."

"That is true," Annabeth agreed, chuckling slightly.

I pouted. "Okay then!" I jumped up from my seat and clapped my hands together. "Let's go do something then!" I sprung toward Nico and began tugging on his arm. "Get off the couch and stop being lazy!"

Nico groaned. "Do I  _have_ to?"

"Yes, you have to!" I demanded, causing Annabeth to laugh behind me.

Nico groaned more exasperatedly this time as I continuously tugged on his arm and chanted, "Get up! Get up!"

"What do you even plan to do, Silena?" Annabeth asked once she stopped laughing.

"Well," I drawled. "I really wanted to do something big and special like going to an amusement park or taking a trip to California and go to the beach but it seems too expensive right now." I sighed heavily in defeat.

"You do realize it'll be weird if we suddenly went on vacation to California in the middle of September," Nico pointed out while half-hanging off the couch.

Annabeth nodded. "And anyway, the ocean is warmer in Florida."

"But I've heard it's basically summer every day in California!" I cried. "Well... Southern California, at least."

Annabeth smiled. "It is, actually. Northern California is a bit colder because it's farther from the equator."

"Can we  _please_ stop with this geography shit?" Nico pleaded. "It's giving me a headache since I'm basically hanging off the couch  _and_ because it's creepy seeing Silena talk about smart stuff."

"Hey!" I retorted.

Nico smirked, which I attempted to ignore but failed. Seriously, if Nico was a little more social he'd have all the girls around him! Well, it's not like I want him to be like that. He'd be different, right? And anyway, Nico is only for Percy! He's off-limits, girls!

"Sorry, sorry." Nico chuckled slightly. "It's just...  _Unusual._ "

" _Unusual_ ," I mimicked, and Annabeth laughed once more.

"You guys are the strangest duo. Tell me, how did the both of you become friends?"

"She forced me to be friends with her," Annabeth grumbled. Nico sighed.

"I forced him to be friends with me!" I exclaimed happily. "And I'm glad I did. I mean, we wouldn't even be having this sleepover if it wasn't for you, Neeks!"

"Not you too." Nico groaned. " _Please_ don't call me that."

"Who else calls you that?" I tilted my head to the side.

"Percy," Nico mumbled. "It can get pretty annoying."

"Okay then, Nikki. Whatever you say!" I grinned while Nico hit the palm of his hand against his forehead. I could faintly detect Annabeth laughing in the background.

"That's even worse!" Nico yelled. "Just... Just don't call me anything."

"Okay,  _Nothing_ ," I emphasized, resulting in a loud sigh from the person that I accidentally fell in love with.

" _Nico_ ," he said. "Just call me  _Nico._ "

" _Nico_ ," I mimicked once more. "Do I have to put so much emphasis on your name?"

"Annabeth, make her stop!"

"Annabeth, don't stop me!"

"Sorry, Nico," Annabeth managed in between laughs. "Silena won this one."

"Yay!" I cheered, releasing Nico's hand automatically and jumping in the air.

"You're lucky I caught myself," Nico grumbled, pushing himself off the couch and taking a seat on it instead of being sprawled all over it.

Annabeth chuckled. "It's funny thinking that I would've never been this close to Silena if it wasn't for you, Nico."

He furrowed his eyebrows. "Seriously?"

I nodded and hummed enthusiastically. "I used to never talk to Annabeth before. I mean, she hung out with me and all because we were both good friends with Percy, but I never actually had a decent conversation with her until you came along."

"Oh really?" Nico said. "Interesting. I didn't actually think I had an effect on any of you guys."

"Oh please." I waved his statement away. "You changed Percy  _dramatically._ "

"That's right." Annabeth took a seat next to Nico and smiled. "Silena never uses that word. Take that into consideration for a second."

I giggled and Nico actually managed to laugh fully instead of half-heartedly like he used to do a few weeks ago. He didn't even become depressed or anything when I brought up Percy. Now  _that's_ what you call friendship at its finest!

Annabeth rolled her eyes, but a smile was still evident on her face. "It's true though, isn't it?"

"Very true," Nico answered once his laughter had become quiet chuckles. "But anyway, where did you plan on taking us, Silena?"

"Somewhere special!" I exclaimed, grabbing one of Nico's hands and one of Annabeth's hands.

"It's the first place that we went to together out of school!"

Annabeth glanced at Nico, waiting for his answer since she probably surmised that the hint wasn't directed at her.

Nico frowned, but he soon said, "The mall?"

I nodded energetically. "Yeah! Now let's go!"

I dragged them both outside in the direction of my car while trying to ignore the fact that I held onto Nico's hand tighter than Annabeth's.


	26. Part 4) Chapter Twenty-One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Part 4 is going to be pretty short. Just saying. It's basically about revealing some stuff I left a mystery in the first book. So yeah. Have fun with the plot twists.
> 
> It kind of mentions a little of the event that happened in the grocery store in this chapter. Haha, yeah I had to go re-read it because it's just been so long since then...

**Percy Jackson**

* * *

_T_ _hump. Thump. Thump._

I seriously hated calculus.

I tapped my pencil chronically on my desk as I squinted at the calculus problem printed upon the piece of paper right before my very eyes.

Can this problem  _even_ be solved? Where was Annabeth when I needed her?

Annabeth... My mind kept wandering away from my mathematical problem and toward the event that seemed to have happened at the supermarket. Was it a coincidence that Nico just  _happened_ to be there? I mean, I didn't believe in Fate or anything like that, but this time... It just seemed too coincidental to just be an accident.

But, I already won Nico's heart? I just had to make his grudge against me disappear...

I groaned unintentionally. How was I supposed to do that?! As far as I knew, Nico's grudges stuck to his brain as if he used super glue or something.

Annabeth wanted me to get back together with Nico, so maybe I could ask her?

I picked up my phone which sat beside my now-forgotten calculus homework. I unlocked my phone and before I could press the contacts button, my door suddenly burst open and hit the wall behind it.

My hand froze at the surprising action. I glanced at the person responsible who was panting as if he ran a mile and had asthma. And, I was pretty positive that Tyson didn't have asthma.

"Yes?" I asked him with an eyebrow raised after he caught his breath.

"Why are you in Nico's room?" Tyson decided to ask me first before explaining why he wanted to almost break the door.

I glanced over my shoulder and scanned the dark bedroom with a small, nostalgic smile on my face. Why not? I thought to myself. Some belongings were taken away; when Nico took them with him I have no idea. His guitar was gone and so were some of his clothing items because he left the drawers of them open. His band posters were still hung up on the wall, and call me creepy, but his bed still held the scent of pomegranates and vanilla. I even started taking a liking to sleeping in his bed instead of my own room. And, My Chemical Romance and Falling in Reverse weren't bad either. I now have their music downloaded onto my phone, thank you very much.

"Why not?" I finally said, bringing gaze up to Tyson's face. He became considerably tall in the last couple of months. It was as if he hit puberty early for some odd reason. He was probably taller than the previous owner of this room.

Tyson laughed. "You like Nico too much, Brother!"

I shrugged, chuckling slightly. "I guess you can say that. Now, why are you here?"

"Daddy wants to see you."

I admit, it probably took me a full ten minutes to realize what he said and process it through my brain before my mouth could open with a response. I wasn't surprised if Tyson laughed at how dumbfounded and stupid I looked.

"Daddy?"

He nodded enthusiastically. "He's talking to Mommy downstairs. He wants to see you."

I slowly stood up from my swivel chair, shoving my phone into my pocket and thanking Tyson for informing me. I walked past him and down the stairs, and each creak the stairs made seemed a lot more noticeable to me like in horror movies.

My foot hit the last step when three of my parents' eyes turned to me. Was I feeling scared to see my dad after so many years? Yeah, I was feeling pretty anxious and frightened.

"Percy." My dad nodded toward me. "Do you like your new step-father?"

I nodded like a malfunctioning robot. "Yeah, I do."

I heard footsteps from behind me come downstairs, and in the corner of my eyes, I could spot Tyson.

My dad glanced between his two children, and to my surprise, he smiled at us. "Why don't we go out and have some fun, Tyson and Perseus?"

Tyson and I glanced at each other. Even  _Tyson_ knew that something bad might happen out of this. His eyes were huge in fear, and his shoulders were tensed. He knew even less about our dad than I did.

"Why don't you two go with your father, okay?" Sally smiled comfortingly at us, but I could see in her eyes that she was worried. Maybe you haven't noticed, but after dating Nico, I knew how to read people's  _real_ emotions by body language pretty damn well.

Tyson and I nodded silently and followed our dad out the door.

I shut the door behind me after Tyson and my dad left the house.

The air was so tense that I could hardly breathe. Tyson didn't seem like his usual happy and enthusiastic self whenever he was allowed to go somewhere. I wondered what my mom and Paul were talking about behind the wall of the house that separated them and me.

To alleviate the tense air, my father asked, "I guess you guys are curious as to why I decided to visit."

"Yeah, maybe a little," I muttered sarcastically when I got into the backseat with Tyson. I refused to sit up there with the bastard that decided to leave us behind. Was this how Nico felt whenever he told me about his long-term grudges?

God! Why did I  _always_ have to bring up Nico in  _everything_?!

He chuckled, but it sounded more like he was choking. "It's been awhile since I've seen you guys, so I decided to drop by and do something with you."

"You know, I still have some calculus homework at home waiting to be finished for tomorrow, so maybe you could speed this up and tell Tyson and me why you're  _really_ here," I snapped, leaning back into the car seat in frustration.

"So you and Tyson get along?" he asked, slightly shocked at the mere idea. "Most siblings usually don't get along, but Sally has done a great job at getting you guys to be nice to each other."

"Yeah, it looks like none of us needed  _you_ around," I huffed, refusing to look at the back of his head.

He sighed. "So, I heard you know who Nico di Angelo is?"

My brain froze and melted at the sound of his name. Luckily, Tyson backed me up because I had no idea if I could say anything coherent after that name.

"We do know him," Tyson said. "Why do you know him?"

"I don't know him," he corrected as he started to pull into an open parking space. "But I do know his father."

"His dad?" I blurted out. "Why do you know his dad?"

"I'll explain it to you soon enough." He unlocked the doors and exited.

"Brother, I'm scared," Tyson whispered.

I attempted to give him a reassuring smile. "We'll be fine. He won't hurt his own children." I patted his shoulder and opened the door.

Tyson nodded and waited for me to leave the car first before exiting himself.

My dad was waiting by the back of the car. I peeled my eyes off the ground and glanced up to see where he had taken Tyson and me.

It was the exact same mall that Silena had taken Nico and me to.


	27. Part 4) Chapter Twenty-Two

**Percy Jackson**

* * *

"Brother?"

I blinked momentarily as memories came flashing through my brain—unfortunately all of them were of Nico.

"S-Sorry," I stuttered, shutting my eyes tightly and breathing deeply.

When I reopened my eyes, my father was staring at me quizzically with an eyebrow raised.

"Something wrong?" he asked, but I had a feeling that he didn't really care about what I felt.

"Nothing," I snapped a bit too quickly with a glare directed toward him for emphasis. Tyson's hands held mine for reassurance, and it was probably the first time that I had ever needed Tyson the most. When Tyson was born, I had always wanted to be the only child when I was younger. Now, I was glad I finally accepted Tyson as the younger brother when I became a teenager.

My father nodded. "Okay then. Let us go, shall we?"

He led us into the mall even though I already knew the directions of most of the mall by heart.

There were so many memories here that made my heart burn and tighten. Like the ice cream store where Nico refused to eat anything there, and Silena spent two hours there. Or Wetzel's Pretzels where Nico tried sneaking away but I found him before he could get very far. We wandered the whole entire mall that night, and I made him admire the Ferris wheel at the center just because the colors and lights amazed me. Silena called and screamed at us for leaving her without telling her.

Good times...

Then we passed by Kay Jewelers, and I was absolutely sure my heart stopped beating for a few minutes.

That beautiful skull ring with the ruby eyes that I gave to Nico... I wondered if he was still wearing it. I had never paid much attention to where his skull ring should've been, and I remember which finger he put it on: his right middle finger. Whenever I did something stupid and ridiculous, he would always flip me off with that finger.

My hand went instinctively toward my neck with the painted beaded necklace that Nico gave me for  _my_ birthday. I had almost forgotten about it, but I always checked to see if it was still hanging around my neck every night.

The green trident, the tree, the maze, the Empire State Building, the skull... I remembered every bead that adorned my necklace and I didn't even have to look down and check. I already memorized what beads were there. This necklace was just that precious to me.

"Percy." My father cleared his throat, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"You stopped walking, Brother," Tyson informed me quietly as if he were frightened by the idea of our dad hearing his statement.

I sighed to myself, glancing down at my brother's face. I didn't even feel like apologizing to them this time. I didn't want to apologize for thinking about the person that I currently loved anymore. I'd think about Nico whenever I can, and I didn't care if I was distracting or hard to talk to.

My father's gaze followed my previous one over to the jewelry store. "A jewelry store? Would you like to go in?"

I shook my head. "Do you remember when I asked you to get me into that really fancy and expensive restaurant a while back?"

He pondered for a moment. "I think I do recall that... Why do you bring that up now?"

"I bought him a ring for his birthday and brought him to that restaurant too."

" _Him_?"

Tyson nodded enthusiastically, and I was glad he was slowly becoming a bit happier.

"Yeah! Nico's like my older brother, too!"

My father stared at me for a few minutes with a narrowed gaze. "You're dating Nico di Angelo?"

I gulped, frowning and averting my gaze toward the floor. "I... Used to. Not anymore."

"Oh. Well, I'm sorry I brought that up," he apologized, but as usual, he didn't sound very sorrowful and regretful.

I shook my head once more. "Where did you want to take us? And how do you know Nico?"

My father's gaze quickly glanced at the jewelry store as if he were afraid that someone were watching him from the inside of the store. "Why don't we go somewhere a bit quieter to talk about that? We could bring Tyson over to the little playground that we have here."

"Playground?!" Tyson's eyes immediately brightened at the sound of that one, simple word. I couldn't help but smile at how happy my brother looked, though.

My father nodded. "Well then, I guess that's settled." He turned and walked toward the playground without bothering to check and see if we were following him.

Tyson bounded happily ahead of me, but I knew he was still staying cautious by keeping his distance away from our dad. I kept an eye on Tyson to make sure that he wouldn't discretely drift away to some nearby ice cream store or something.

Did I  _have_ to use an ice cream store as an example? I guess it wasn't that bad thinking about Nico again. I mean, at least I get to remember all of the good memories that I had with him that I wished I could still experience.

* * *

It was when we were walking into Starbucks that I literally felt like I nearly died and was tortured all throughout the depths of Hell.

Tyson complained to me so much about being thirsty from walking for a long time that I finally gave up on trying to remember all of the memories I had with Nico and went to ask my father if we could stop by a nearby store and get a cup of water for Tyson. My father agreed, saying that he would want some coffee anyway, so we all decided to stop by that Starbucks store that Nico was obsessed with.

My father opened the door for us— _so_  gentlemanly of him, I know—and we walked inside. A bunch of people was using the Wi-Fi to do homework. Why people would go to the Irvine Spectrum to do homework instead of at home was a complete mystery to me. I mean, weren't there less distractions at home or were they just craving coffee? Maybe they were trying to escape family reunions like me. But this time, I couldn't really escape it. For the first time in probably my whole entire life, I kind of wished I would have the opportunity to go back home and work on my calculus homework.

While my dad was ordering a cup of water and a coffee, Tyson tugged on the hem of my shirt. I glanced down at him with an eyebrow raised, but he seemed to be distracted my something else.

"Is that Nico?" he asked me without taking his eyes off of whatever he was staring at.

I was too afraid to look at what Tyson was staring at. From his question, I already knew who it was, but I didn't want to look. I feigned ignorance and said, "What do you mean? Why would Nico be here, anyway?"

"Does Nico like girls?

Okay, now  _that_ made me confused. "No? Why would you—"

I followed Tyson's gaze, and I saw exactly what he meant. What happened after that, I don't remember. All I remember was my brother calling after me as I stormed over to the other side of the store and pulled them away.

Did that really happen? Was what I saw even real?

Why would Silena even kiss Nico?


	28. Part 4) Chapter Twenty-Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place at the same time the last chapter does. The endings of the last chapter and this chapter are really the same.

**Nico di Angelo**

* * *

"It sure seems like a while since we've been here," I commented tiredly as Silena dragged me from one store to the next. Now that she knew I had a thing for ice cream, we almost spent two hours in the ice cream store  _again._ Someone, please help me. I had to thank Annabeth for being there or we would've been there for a whole day maybe.

What did she tell her? I didn't know myself. Annabeth seemed just as tired as I was waiting for Silena to stop spending her time eating ice cream. How did she even stay slim? What magic did she have to perform to keep such a perfect body? Girls, I swear.

Annabeth was the one who whispered something into Silena's ear, which resulted in her jumping up from her seat with a horribly red face and dashing outside. Annabeth just laughed at her reaction and gestured for me to follow, but what Annabeth told Silena is still a mystery to me.

I asked Annabeth what she even told Silena, but she only laughed, called me dense, and ignored my subsequent questions. Can someone  _please_ explain to me how I was dense? I thought I was smart but I guess not.

Oh well, at least we were out of that stupid store. I probably won't be eating ice cream for another two lifetimes now.

We passed by the newly-remodeled Tilly's store and Silena practically screamed, most likely breaking my eardrums in the process.

"We  _have_ to go in!" Silena squealed, grabbing a tight hold on my wrists and jumping up and down. "Please?!"

"Okay, okay." I ripped my hands away and placed them on her shoulders so she could stop bouncing. "It wasn't even my idea to be here, so if you want to go somewhere, then just do it."

"Did you want to go to the Nike store too?" Silena asked me with a slight, stepping back and examining me. "I can't see you wearing Nike clothes and stuff like that. That seems more like Beckendorf's kind of thing."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "Wait,  _what_? What are you talking about? Why are you suddenly suggesting we go to the Nike store?"

"Well, you said 'just do it,' right?" She laughed lightly at her own joke. I only sighed and slapped a hand to my forehead with a heavy sigh of exasperation.

Annabeth laughed along. "You've got to admit that was pretty good. I didn't catch that either."

"I am  _not_ admitting that it was a good joke," I huffed, shoving my hands into the front pockets of my jeans.

"Aw, why  _not_?" Silena pouted. "It was pretty good."

"I'm still not admitting it."

"If I take you to Hot Topic, will you admit it then?"

I pretended to contemplate the offer. "No."

She pouted with a slight whine. "Nico!"

"Silena!" I imitated poorly, rolling my eyes in the process.

She laughed at my impersonation, and in the corner of my eyes, I could see Annabeth giving her some kind of stare that I couldn't read. It definitely wasn't a good look. A warning sign? What would she even warn Silena about?

"Nico, you  _seriously_  don't know how funny you actually are?" Silena asked me, tilting her head to the side and letting her long, blonde hair fall down to one side.

" _Funny_?" I repeated incredulously. "You think I'm  _funny_?"

"Nico, you're actually the funniest out of all of us," Annabeth stated with a smile. "I mean, I never really had a sense of humor."

"Then what about Silena?" I took my hands out of my front jean pockets and gestured wildly towards the giggling girl in front of me.

"I'm just the super enthusiastic one, you know?" Silena grinned and bounced on her heels as if to emphasize just how energetic she was. "I don't really say anything funny. But  _you_ on the other hand..."

"I'm  _not_  that funny guys," I denied. "You guys are just imagining things."

"Imagining you being a comedian?" Annabeth replied. "Yeah, I could definitely see that."

"You may have to smile a bit more and lighten up the color of your clothes to appear less intimidating and more fun to be around." Silena scanned me up and down as if imagining me in lighter clothing, which is  _not_ happening by the way.

"Can we just get going to another store and not talk about me being a comedian in the future?" I pleaded. "I'd rather not be one when I get older."

Silena and Annabeth laughed.

"But it'd totally work!" Silena cried, grasping my shoulders and jumping up and down.

"It really would Nico," Annabeth joined in, laughing at Silena jump enthusiastically.

I rolled my eyes once more. Girls I swear.

"Can we just get on with our lives now?" I asked them once more, but this time, they finally agreed with me. Silena linked her arm with mine and lead me to some other store that I had never been to. It wasn't like I went to the mall on a daily basis anyway, unlike  _someone._ Maybe like the person linking arms with me? I don't know, it might be a small possibility. I mean, does Annabeth even go shopping? I can't even picture it, and if I tried, I probably would've pissed my pants from laughing so fucking hard.

It was when we got to a nearby coffee store that the end began. Did that even make sense? I was kind of hoping it did. If not, then just go with it because it's not like I really care. Insensitive? Yeah, I was  _very_ insensitive, so you've got to get used to that too.

We only went in because Annabeth needed to go to the bathroom after having to eat so much ice cream. Thanks for that, Silena. We really needed to gain an extra ten pounds from just ice cream today. Definitely on the very top of my to-do list for today.

We were waiting outside the small bathroom in the cramped coffee store. The smell of-obviously-coffee filled the room, but I didn't mind it. I loved coffee anyway. Silena offered to buy me something while waiting for Annabeth to finish powdering her nose, but I turned down the offer, unfortunately. I was still full from all of that  _damned ice cream._  Never eating ice cream for a long time from now on.

"Hey, Nico?" Silena broke my train of thought about cursing ice cream for dateless times.

"Yeah?" I replied simply, leaning against the wall behind me.

"Would you... Ever hate me?"

Now that question took me by surprise. What was she even thinking in that energetic mind of hers?

"What do you mean?" I pushed myself off the wall and stared straight into her crystal blue eyes. "You got me through the toughest times, like the abuse I got from my father and when Percy chea-broke up with me. You tried so hard to become friends with me even though we have absolutely nothing in common. Why would you think I would ever hate you?"

She gulped nervously, and her bottom lip quivered. "We really have been friends for a long time, right?"

"We really have, Silena," I agreed with a nod. "I'm actually kind of glad I gave up on pushing you away before. I finally-"

A pair of lips silenced me, and my eyes widened dramatically. Was Silena actually kissing me? Was it her? Was I imagining things?

My body instantly became still as her arms wrapped around my neck and her hand tugged on the hair behind my head. She pressed her body against mine, and I felt something wet slide down my cheek.

_Silena_... I thought miserably.  _When did you find out about your feelings for me? I didn't even know._

It was then that her lips were shoved away from mine. But, I didn't move at all. Did I?

I focused on whoever was standing in front of me, and I didn't think my eyes could get any wider.

Percy Jackson.


	29. Part 4) Chapter Twenty-Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully this chapter is as emotional as I want it to be (I suck at emotions. But let's just skip to the actual chapter now, shall we?)

**Nico di Angelo**

* * *

"Percy?" Silena whispered so quietly I had to strain my ears to catch what she muttered. I couldn't even see Percy's expression, but it was as if I could feel his fury and rage from where he stood in front of me.

Someone tugged on my hand and I glanced to the side. Tyson was there with wide eyes, and a man on the other side of the store seemed to stare intently at us.

And why did that man look like an older version of Percy? Was he Percy's  _real_  father?

"Hey, Silena," Percy said in a frighteningly level voice.

"Percy? I-I didn't..." Silena's eyes were wide in horror as she attempted to construct an actual sentence. "You know I'm-"

"On my side?" Percy's voice was laced with so much malice that it didn't even sound like him at all. Was this really Percy? How much had he changed since I last saw him?

_"If you didn't care about anyone," I heard Percy's voice in my head, "then why did you cover my mouth for the kids? Didn't you say because you thought I would care?"_

_"What of it?"_

_"If you covered my mouth because I would care, then doesn't that mean you care about me?"_

How much happened since then? Hasn't it been only a few hours? Why did Percy sound like he was ready to snap everyone's neck in under a couple seconds?

My talk with Percy just a few hours ago... It sounded as if he were fine. I mean, sure I knew deep since that he was depressed and/or desperate for obvious reasons, but  _angry?_

My gaze eventually led towards the older man who seemed to be staring intensively at me that resembled Percy in various ways. Was he part of the reason as to why Percy was so angry?

That person... Was definitely Percy's real father. I remember Percy telling me a little about him on my birthday. But why was he back? And what happened to Paul?

"Percy..." Silena's voice quivered. "I really am. I-I didn't know you were there."

"Even if you were on my side, you wouldn't betray me if I was there or not there," Percy snapped with hatred. "I already know you're trying to help him more than me, but  _this?_ I wouldn't have expected any of this from Silena Beauregard. What happened to Beckendorf, Silena?"

To my surprise, I spotted tears forming in the corner of her eyes. Her hands were shaking uncontrollably, and her eyes darted everywhere but Percy's face.

"Percy you know I'm-"

" _Sorry_ isn't going to cut it for me," Percy interrupted her with a cold tone of voice. "I learned that the hard way. And now you're going to-"

"Percy that's enough."

My eyes widened at the sound of a new-but familiar-voice.

"Annabeth!" Silena practically sobbed her name, clinging to her as if her life depended on it.

"I don't know what happened just now." Annabeth glanced down at Silena worriedly. "But Percy, be a bit easier next time on her."

"Life isn't just 'easy' you know," Percy growled, and I didn't have to look at him to know his venomous glare directed their way.

"Percy, we do care about you." Annabeth began to approach the situation more carefully. "Please-just calm down."

"You expect me to calm down after what I just saw?!" Percy yelled. "Do you really believe I'll calm down after that? Do you know how long I've tried to get over him? Do you have the  _slightest idea_  as to what I've been through? Every single fucking night to every single fucking day I've only had one thing on my god damn mind! I've experienced the most painful breakdowns throughout this week, and you expect me to  _calm down?_ I've been working my ass off trying to gain his trust again, and here Silena goes stealing his heart in two seconds flat. Calm down? What a fucking joke!

"I promised him I'd spend my whole life with him. Hell, I even told him I wouldn't have to worry about breaking up with him for someone else! I know I fucked up-I know I did. All I want is another chance, but life isn't simple. I know there are people out there suffering even more than me, and maybe I'm just overreacting, but I've had enough to deal with today." Percy's fists unclenched and his shoulders slumped downward.

He exhaled deeply. "Sorry, Silena, and I know it's not enough. I don't... I don't even know what I'm doing anymore." He chuckled half-heartedly, running a hand through his black hair. "I just love him so much. I want to hug him again and whisper loving things in his ear and tease him like I used to in the past months. I want to joke around with him and see if he would smile even if we just went back to being friends. I don't want him to ignore me or avoid me or anything. I just want to be with him again, and I don't care if I sell my soul if it's the only way to be with him." Percy chuckled once more. "Love is such a fucked up thing, don't you think?" He sighed. "What am I even doing here? I'm sorry, again, Silena, for yelling at you even though I'm not even dating him anymore. I mean, I should love him enough to a point where I'd allow him to date whoever he wants as long as he's happy right? We're not even together anymore, so what's the fucking point?"

I smiled softly to myself. Tyson tugged on my arm as if urging me to say something.

I hesitantly opened my mouth to say something, but Percy beat me to it.

"Let's go Tyson." He turned around, and my eyes widened at how much pain Percy's sea-green eyes held. What hurt the most was the fact that he had a smile across his face. It was as if I were looking at my old self-the person who pretended to be happy and that it didn't hurt to be around Percy. Now it was the opposite, but Percy couldn't hide it from me.

"Okay Brother." Tyson released my arm and followed Percy after nodding to me as if to say  _Go get him!_ The older man that resembled Percy followed them shortly after, and everyone in the coffee store began to resume what they were doing before that event had happened.

"Nico," Annabeth called to me, but I was half-listening to her. I was staring out the window of the cafe's front door where Percy was. He looked as if he were trying to explain something to the older man in a desperate way.

I gulped when I reached a decision in my mind. I took a deep breath and thought to myself,  _here goes nothing._

I left the cafe. Annabeth called my name once more in a shocked but curious sort of way, but I didn't bother turning around. I felt the door shut behind me and the wind from it blew my hair and clothing around. I heard Percy's voice but my mind didn't register anything that he was saying. The only thing my mind knew was what I planned to do, and that Tyson was even trying to get us back to the way things were before.

Percy turned to me and had a frightened expression across his face. His breathing hitched and he stepped away from me. Was he afraid of me? Didn't he just announce to the whole store how much he loved me?

I raised my hand and he flinched. His teeth gritted together as if preparing himself for whatever pain he predicted to appear in the next second. But that wasn't what came.

I slid my hands across his cheeks before standing on my toes and pressing my lips against his in a passionate kiss. How long had it been so I felt Percy's warm lips against mine? Percy's ocean scent wafted around me as I pressed my body closer to his. I smiled when Percy began to respond, moving his lips sensually against my own.

When we separated for air, I stared into his gorgeous eyes which I have loved for so long and asked, "Why would I want to spend time with someone who already sold his soul?"


	30. Part 4) Chapter Twenty-Five

**Percy Jackson**

* * *

You had no idea how happy I felt.

I felt as if everyone around me was now nonexistent except for the beautiful, dark angel that I held in my arms. I felt as if I were flying through the night with the city lights shimmering underneath me as the cool breeze ran through my hair and clothes, blowing every kind of worry that existed away.

Gods, I had never felt better. Even getting an A on a test for an unintelligent being like me was nothing compared to the ecstasy I felt now.

Someone cleared their throat and my temporary, happiness-filled fantasy shattered and I was suddenly brought back to the real world. Right,  _other_ people existed. Unnecessary people that is.

Nico and I immediately broke apart at the sound of the third party. We both whipped out heads toward the voice, and, like I said, it was an unnecessary person.

"So,  _you're_ Nico di Angelo?" My dad hummed curiously.

Nico narrowed his eyes suspiciously at him and nodded slowly. "How do you know that?"

My dad smiled knowingly. It kind of freaked me out.

"I happen to know your father very well," he answered, the freaky smile staying intact.

Nico's expression darkened considerably. "Oh really?" He scoffed.

My dad nodded. "It seems that you've already had quite the developing relationship with my son, hm?"

My face heated up instantly, and I didn't even want to bother looking at Nico's. It would probably just embarrass me more.

"Why do you care?" Nico snapped, finally irritated by my dad's sudden interrogation. "Who are you anyway? Are you Percy's father or something?"

My dad grinned. "I am. Good guess." He cleared his throat. "I'll just get straight to the point then. After I treat you to someplace of course." His gaze flickered over to Tyson. "Where do you want to eat?"

Tyson was currently cowering in fear behind Nico. He probably missed him this whole time so he went to go see Nico first before anything.

"A-Anywhere is fine," Tyson stuttered from the nervousness that came from everyone's eyes on him.

Nico turned toward Tyson-he didn't even have to bend down to be eye level with him, and I couldn't tell if it was because Nico was short or Tyson was just talk-and smiled sincerely. "Where do you want to go, Tyson? Your father's willing to take you anyway, so take that advantage instead of letting someone else ruin your chance and pick something you don't want, okay?" He said in a soft tone.

When the fuck did Nico get so good with children? Was it because he just got along with Tyson or something?

Tyson nodded slowly, pondering the offer for a little while, before finally parting his lips and speaking in a quiet voice: "Can we get pretzels?"

I don't know  _how_ exactly my dad heard him, but he nodded. "Alright, Tyson, let's go." He turned on his heels and marched off without even bothering to check if we were trailing behind him.

I grasped Nico's hand tightly, squeezing it comfortingly. "What do you think he's going to talk about?"

Nico shrugged, not taking his eyes off the back of Poseidon. "I don't know. He brought up my father, so maybe he'll talk about him?"

I only shrugged back in response. "Let's go before we lose him."

I pulled lightly on Nico's hand to direct him, and Tyson followed right behind us. That was until Nico suddenly paused in his tracks. I stopped abruptly as well, staring at him with a curious expression across my face.

"What is it?" I questioned him.

Nico turned around, tugging on my hand. "I left Annabeth and Silena back there."

I smiled reassuringly. "I'm sure they'll be fine."

As if it were on cue in some movie or something, Annabeth and Silena exited the coffee shop. Annabeth waved her hand with a smile, indicating that it was okay to go without them. Silena smiled apologetically while mouthing, "Sorry."

I only smiled and nodded in return. I wasn't exactly mad at Silena anymore. I mean, if I hadn't caught her kissing Nico-never thinking of that ever again; it only fueled my jealousy and anger-then I would've never talked to Nico. In fact, if the anger-fueling event never happened, I probably would've tried to avoid Nico at all costs. I just really wanted to ask Silena when in the world did she start to like Nico.

Nico sighed in relief. He glanced at me and squeezed my hand, and I took that as a sign that he was ready to go and followed after my dad.

"Alright. Let's go then," I stated, walking in the direction my dad went in along with Nico and Tyson.

* * *

Nico almost choked on his soda. I think the soda fell out of my mouth since my mouth was wide open. Tyson was just chewing on his pretzel, looking as perplexed as ever. I was guessing he had no idea as to what was even happening.

My eyes were at the maximum wideness as I stuttered, "W-What?"

I patted Nico's back until he stopped coughing up soda. He muttered a quick thank you before regaining his composure as best as he could. Considering the news that Poseidon just threw at us once we got our pretzels and beverages, Nico couldn't quite regain his composure very well. I couldn't blame him though; neither could I.

"You're kidding," Nico accused breathlessly. "That... That's impossible. The guys that came to Percy's house said-"

"I had hired them to hide the truth from you," my dad replied calmly as if the news he shared with us wasn't as alarming as it should be.

"Why?!" Nico suddenly yelled, surprising us. "He may have been the worst father in the entire universe, but I deserve to know what happened to him! A fucking car crash?" He scoffed, leaning back into the chair. "What bullshit," he muttered more to himself than the rest of us at the table. Nico's shoulders were tensed as he crossed his arms across his chest, and from the excess amount of curse words in front of my little brother and from his tone of voice, Nico was  _pissed._

Poseidon sighed quietly, hoping Nico didn't notice. "Nico, I had truly thought-"

"That you had good intentions for me," Nico finished with disbelief lacing his voice. "Well _, that's_  shit."

"I just thought you would have handled it better if you knew he passed away during a car crash," my dad put in quickly before Nico could say anymore.

"My mother and sister  _died_ in a car accident. What makes you fucking think I'd handle that better?!" Nico growled. He took deep breaths to calm himself. "I mean, I know I wasn't sad over my father's death after everything he did to me after my mother and sister. I found it ironic that he died in a car accident as well." Nico shut his eyes. "Why did I even believe you? My father  _never_ left the house after the accident. How would the asshole even die in a motherfucking crash of he doesn't leave the god damn house?" Nico gritted his teeth in aggravation. "How could I be any more stupid?"

It was silent at our table for quite awhile. The tension was practically suffocating me. I decided to put an arm around Nico's shoulders to ease the tension in them, and he glanced at me and put a small smile on his lips. I could tell he was thinking of other things in his mind though.

Like how my dad just told us that Nico's dad didn't die in a fucking car crash.

My dad beat him to death.


	31. Part 4) Chapter Twenty-Six

**Percy Jackson**

* * *

"That... That explains why there was that huge blood stain on the wall of his room, remember?" I turned to Nico for confirmation, and he nodded slowly.

"That explains it I guess," Nico responded quietly. "But why?" Nico ripped his gaze off the table and directed toward Poseidon. "Why did you do that anyway? Beat him to death? Isn't that extreme?" Before my dad could open his mouth to reply, Nico continued on. "You said you knew my father right? You must've had  _some_ reason to do such a thing to him."

My dad raised an eyebrow with a smile. "Are you defending him, Nico di Angelo? I thought you hated your father with a burning passion."

Nico narrowed his eyes. "I'm  _not_  defending him," he snapped back. "Just tell me the reason. Or are you going to lie to me about that too?"

Poseidon chuckled with amusement. "Now that you're here in front of me face-to-face, I wouldn't dare lie to you. It looks like you've been through some pretty rough things in your lifetime? I think it's time you finally got some answers, and it's why I'm here."

"What are you, my therapist?" Nico scoffed. "I can't even believe this."

Poseidon closed his eyes for a few moments before opening them once more. "Your dad... I knew about the things he's done to you."

For a second there, I swear Nico was going to flip the table and storm out of the pretzel store. A mad glint in his dark brown eyes caught my attention, and I totally thought Hell was about to rise.

To my shock, he didn't do anything. He sat there with no emotion evident anywhere on his face. The only way I knew he was listening was because of his tensed shoulders which my arm rested upon.

"Your dad owes me a lot of money," my dad began to continue. "He never paid it back. I waited and waited, but he never returned much money."

"He... Was in debt?" Nico asked slowly as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

Poseidon nodded. "He borrowed a lot of money from my company. I gave it to him because I knew him very well, as long as he paid it back of course. But my money never came back. I had done a bit of researching to see what in gods' name he was doing. That was when I found out about your family... Issues." My dad sighed, running a hand tiredly down his face. "I had decided it was time to end this huge debt. I had gone to visit him. It surprised me that no one else was home. I knew he had a son who was alive and... Well, he was nowhere to be found."

I glanced at Nico, and I already found him staring right back at me. That was when Nico has already moved into the spare room that my house had.

This all explained why my dad already knew of Nico di Angelo.

My dad cleared his throat. "I had tried to find a...  _Suitable_ form of punishment. I would've put him in a car accident, but that could've put myself at risk." His eyes flickered toward me. "Then I talked to Sally."

"Mommy?" Tyson's attention was drawn back to the conversation when he heard my mom being mentioned.

"What does Mom have to do with any of this?" I glared in the direction of my dad. I was suddenly in guard, waiting to do who-knows-what to my dad if he spoke the wrong thing.

"I had gone to visit her one day while the three of you" he gestured Tyson, Nico, and me, "were at school. Sally had stayed home to take care of the house and clean up a bit.

"While I was doing a bit of exploring around the house to see what had changed since the last time I had visited, the guest room had caught my eye. It looked as if someone now lived in that certain room. Black, newly painted walls, guitars, posters, clothing... It looked just like a bedroom instead of a guest room. I had asked your mother about it, and she said it now belonged to  _Nico di Angelo._ " He pronounced Nico's name slowly as if to make sure we didn't miss it. "I asked why, and she said that he had become a good friend of yours." He looked at me. "She said that Nico had gone through some traumatic things with his father and that he preferred living with them." His gaze returned to a very pissed off Nico. "When I asked what traumatic things-"

Nico slammed his hands against the table, causing the cups to rattle against the table and for Tyson and me to jump in our seats. Poseidon didn't seem to be fazed at all. In fact, it looked more like he was anticipating that reaction to happen.

"We get it!" Nico interrupted, his breathing heavy. "Just get to the point," he snapped, leaning back into the chair.

Poseidon chuckled. "As I was saying after I learned what happened between you," he nodded toward Nico, "and Hades, I figured out how to punish him. The same way Hades punished Nico."

Nico grimaced at this, and I pulled him closer to me for comfort. He wrapped his arms around me, swallowing nervously. His eyes were still narrowed in the direction of my dad.

We had told my mom and Paul what really happened to Nico after we started to date. I didn't want Nico to be lying to my parents while he was my boyfriend-that would've been plain horrible-so I had somehow managed to convince Nico into telling them the truth. It went pretty well actually, excluding the fact where Paul said he would threaten Hades with his Shakespearean theatre sword-fighting skills and my mom said that Nico would never be living in that wretched house ever again.

"And that was exactly what I did," my dad continued. "I beat him the same way he beat you, Nico di Angelo." Poseidon's eyes darkened. "Blood was everywhere, and he ended up dying."

Nico buried his face into my chest. I could feel his heart beating considerably fast and his breathing becoming an irregular pace. This was probably bringing such horrible memories to Nico. He was literally  _shaking uncontrollably_ in my arms. I knew that he couldn't handle hearing anymore.

"Dad," I informed him, glaring at him. He only shrugged with a smile as if he didn't just admit murdering someone with his bare hands.

I bent down so that my warm breath tickled Nico's eat lightly. "Let's go outside okay?"

There was a pause between us before he nodded. My dad had gotten out of his seat and exited the pretzel store. I told Tyson that Nico and I were going to sit outside for a bit, but then I realized that I wasn't just going to leave Tyson sitting there all by himself, so I told him to come along with us.

Tyson nodded, a grave expression replacing his usual excited and joyful mood. Even Tyson knew how serious and horrifying Poseidon's explanation was.

I opened the door for Nico and Tyson. Tyson thanked me and waited for Nico to intertwine his fingers with mine. I glanced back at the store with narrowed eyes.

I was hoping that was the last time I ever saw my dad.


	32. Part 4) Chapter Twenty-Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This book is actually ending soon too. I don't know when, but I know I don't have much left planned for this book.

**Percy Jackson**

* * *

Nico was sitting completely still on a bench near a fountain in the center of a bunch of stores off to the side. Tyson sat beside him while I stood adjacent to them both with my hands deep inside my jean pockets.

I had called Annabeth and Silena a few minutes before to tell them to meet us at a fountain. It was then that I realized that there were various other fountains in this outdoor mall. Thanks, Annabeth; I always thought we were just passing by the same place repetitively. It actually never occurred to me that each fountain was different.

Well,  _sorry_ for not being conscious of my surrounding very much.

After that weird realization, I had to tell them that we were by Wetzel's Pretzels.  _That_ answer satisfied Annabeth more so she told us they'd be there soon and hung up.

I never spotted Poseidon coming out of the store at all. He either stayed in there or took some secret back exit that I never knew existed. Well, wherever he was, I was glad that he wasn't near us-Nico specifically.

Tyson was busily munching on a soft pretzel, but judging from his body language, I had a feeling he knew exactly what went down in there. He knew, along with my parents, that Nico had lost his family and only had his dad left. Until the 'car accident' which ended up being a brutal murder with Poseidon's own bare hands.

I felt sympathetic of Tyson; he was  _way_ too young to be dealing with this shit. He was about seven years-old and he was already hearing about his friend's dad being murdered by his own father. If I was Tyson, I'd be scared to death.

That was probably the wrong thing to say at the wrong time.

"Are you sure you don't want it?"

My gaze shifted over to Nico. It was the first words that he ever said in these twenty minutes of silence between all three of us. Nico was dead quiet-why do I keep relating things to death? I'm such a terrible person-before, and I wanted to say something to him to tell him it was okay. I was afraid of what Nico could've said back as a response though.

My eyes eventually landed on Tyson, and I instantly knew what he was talking about.

Tyson was offering Nico the rest of his pretzel.

That was actually pretty nice of him considering the fact that Tyson and I were really similar when it came to our possessiveness for food.

Tyson shook his head in response, shifting the pretzel closer to Nico. "I want you to have it."

Nico smiled, and I couldn't help but crack a small smile either at Tyson's kindness. Have I ever told you how much I loved kids? Because  _this_ was absolutely adorable. It was like that one little girl I met at an orphanage who wanted to be an archer when she grew up or something like that. She told me she met someone who looked just like me, and it made me curious ever since. Did the guy  _actually_ look like me or was it one of those things where I looked nothing like him except for the fact that we both had black hair or something along those lines.

"Do you want another bite before I take it?" Nico offered, his hand hovering over the napkin which held the pretzel.

Tyson shook his head once more. "I want you to take as much as you can."

See?  _Adorable._

Nico chuckled, taking the pretzel from him. "Thank you."

Tyson nodded, and he wa _s literally_ beaming. "You're welcome!"

"Aw, that is  _so_ cute!"

Damn, I was  _pretty positive_ my voice was not that high of a pitch.

All three of us turned to the direction of the voice that seemed to be having the same thoughts as me to find Annabeth and Silena standing nearby.

"You guys finally made it." I grinned as they neared closer to us.

Annabeth nodded. "It would've taken longer if you just told us that you were by the fountain. Not  _a_ fountain but  _the_ fountain. It was then that I knew you thought there was only one fountain in this whole entire mall."

I chuckled. "Sorry, sorry. I thought we were just passing by the same place a bunch of times."

She raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "It didn't occur to you  _once_ that the fountains looked completely different? I mean, come on Percy! The one near Target is a circle! This one's a rectangle!" She gesticulated wildly at the shape of the fountain near us.

I laughed. "I said I'm sorry!"

" _Sorry_ isn't going to get you anywhere in a geometry class!" Annabeth retorted. "You'd only end up with a terrible grade in that class. And why? Because you used the formula for the area for a circle on a rectangle!"

"Hey, hey, hey. At least I passed that class right?"

Annabeth was practically fuming, but I knew she was just having fun with me. "Just barely, Percy! Just barely with that C minus of yours!"

I heard a laugh, and we both turned to Nico who has an amused smile upon his face as he watched our stupid quarrel about my geometry grade. Silena and Tyson were even watching with grins across their lips.

I glanced back at Annabeth who was surveying Nico with a calculating gaze. In the corner of my eyes, I saw Silena starting a conversation with Nico. She even tried including Tyson into the conversation as well.

Annabeth took the chance to ask me in a low voice, "This appears to be the wrong time to ask Nico what's the matter. Silena seems to be noticing it too."

I nodded. "After what happened,  _I_ don't even want to talk about it. Maybe he'll be able to open up at the end of the day?"

She smiled. "I guess you're right. Now's not the time to bring it up when everything is fresh. What Nico needs right now is us-friends to cheer him up is all."

I glanced back at Nico. "Of course you know what's right for him, Wise Girl."

"Of course you don't know the difference between circles and rectangles, Seaweed Brain." Annabeth elbowed me playfully in the side before joining their conversation about what to do next. Apparently, they wanted Tyson's idea first, but Tyson wanted Nico's opinion first.

I grinned. I've always wondered what would become of Nico and I if I never met him at the park. What would become of us of Nico never played the violin that day, or I didn't agree to go to the park with my friends?

I shrugged internally. At least it all happened, or I never would've met him. The idea of never meeting the mysterious Nico do Angelo scared me.

"Percy!" Silena called to me. "Where do  _you_ want to go first? Tyson and Nico aren't answering me!"

I laughed, pushing the thoughts of never meeting Nico away and joining their conversation.


	33. Part 4) Chapter Twenty-Eight

**Percy Jackson**

* * *

My feet  _hurt._

It felt super sore and constricted inside of my sneakers. It felt as if my feet were  _pounding_ and  _throbbing._ It felt as if the only way my feet would not lose its ability to withstand my weight and keep me walking is to rip off my shoes at the speed of light so they could breathe again.

_How_ exactly did girls carry ten million bags, wear high heels, and walk around a huge mall in hours?

The word  _shopping_ definitely did not apply to me.

And apparently, it applied to my little brother.

Yeah, sure I was happy that he was his enthusiastic, happy self again after what went down in Wetzel's Pretzels-I know, the ideal place for a dramatic confession is a pretzel store. If any one of you what to confess to your son's boyfriend that you brutally murdered his father, go to Wetzel's Pretzels!

Anyway, as I was saying, how did Tyson even  _deal_ with all of this walking? I was pretty positive we experienced the whole entire mall  _at least_ three times now. Nico even appeared absolutely exhausted beside me, but he still looked as if he were having fun. Hopefully, he was, because the whole point of this was to cheer him up anyway.

I was tempted to bring up whatever was going on between Nico and me, but I was too afraid to sadden Nico again. I figured now wasn't the time to bring up the fact that Nico agreed to forgive me.

Or did he really forgive me? What if it was just a spur of the moment and he didn't think it through very much?

What if all he wanted to be was my friend and nothing more?

"Percy?"

I blinked momentarily, flickering my gaze toward the source of the voice.

Nico stared at me with a concerned expression etched across his face. "Are you okay? You look... Worried about something."

I was taken aback. Did I really appear that way?

I shook my head, forcing a half-hearted smile. "No, really, I'm fine Nico." I didn't want to worry him with my over-thinking problems just yet.

Nico obviously didn't seem convinced. "Are you sure? Do you want to talk about it?"

"I'm fine, Nico, really," I repeated. "Thanks for caring so much though."

Nico nodded, eyeing me warily. "If you want to talk about it though..."

I nodded, chuckling. "I got it. Seriously, Nico, stop worrying for once. We're trying to cheer you up right now."

Nico raised his hands up with a smile across his face. "Sorry, sorry."

It was dark now in the outdoor mall. The lights from through the stores' windows illuminated the pathways that weaved through the mall. The fountains appeared more heavenly now with the lights from the fountains making it look as if they were glowing. The people that were shopping here were now beginning to leave, but I already had a feeling that Silena was just getting started.

She was already carrying tons of bags from the various stores that we've visited, and I was pretty sure now that Silena was so healthy because the exercising that she should be doing is actually her carrying heavy bags of clothes from shopping sprees and walking around this huge place.

Seriously, Silena, how did you do it?

"Guys!" Silena exclaimed excitedly, stopping in her tracks. "Do you want to go eat dinner now? I'll pay!"

Annabeth rolled her eyes, shifting the bags of clothes that she offered to carry for Silena's sake. "After everything that you bought and the dinner, you're going to be out of money. Why don't we just split the bill or something?"

Silena shrugged. "I guess... But Tyson isn't paying and neither is Nico!"

Nico sighed exasperatedly. "Why am I not paying again?"

"Because," Silena began as if it were an obvious concept that Nicos across the world could not pay for their own meal. "We're all doing this to cheer you up. So you can't pay for your own happiness! Money  _is_ the root of all evil, you know."

"Says the one carrying all those shopping bags full of expensive clothing," Annabeth remarked with a disbelieving gaze directed toward Silena, gesturing toward the shopping bags that they were both holding.

"Oh, shush." Silena giggled. "What do you say? Do you guys want to eat now? Percy, do you want to pay with Annabeth and me?"

I shrugged. "Why not? I'll feel bad if you guys are paying for what I'm eating anyway."

Silena nodded approvingly. "Okay then." She spun on her heels and pointed toward a nearby restaurant. "Let's eat there!"

I was pretty sure the only reason why she tried to get everyone to eat dinner was that she wanted the dessert from that place. It was a typical thing of Silena anyway. I mean, it was the  _Cheesecake Factory._ No one can resist that place and their addicting desserts-and food. Because their food is also amazing; let's not forget the delicious food, shall we?

Silena marched toward the restaurant, dragging Annabeth by the wrist. Tyson laughed at the sight before turning towards Nico and me to see if we were coming.

Nico whipped out his phone from his pocket to check the time. The bright screen contrasted my dim surroundings, but I was able to read 8:31 PM.

Nico rolled his eyes, pocketing the phone. "Why do I get the feeling that all Silena wants to eat from there is the dessert?"

I laughed. "That's exactly the same thing I thought."

Nico smirked. "It's  _definitely_ something that Silena would do."

"Guys!" Silena's voice called from the entrance of The Cheesecake Factory. "Come on! We already got a table, you slowpokes!"

"Isn't that a Pokémon?" Tyson furrowed his eyebrows.

Nico chuckled. "Yes, yes it is, Tyson."

Tyson shrugged, bounding happily over to the restaurant, and Nico and I followed behind.


	34. Part 4) Chapter Twenty-Nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be a smut scene sometime soon toward the end of the story, and... There are probably around ten chapters left or so.

**Percy Jackson**

* * *

"When is the check coming?" Annabeth sighed, swirling her water around in the cup.

"Oh, the check?" Silena batted her eyelashes innocently. "I already paid for it."

Annabeth and I slammed whatever we were holding onto the table simultaneously.

"You  _what?_!" We both cried practically at the top of our lungs since the restaurant was so loud.

Silena laughed and nodded. "Yeah! Tyson told me the waitress came by a few minutes ago asking for who was paying, and so I gave her my credit card when she came by again."

"So it was  _your_ fault!" I pointed accusingly toward my own little brother. What a traitor.

Tyson grinned. "You guys looked busy, so I told Silena."

"We were arguing about what Nico's favorite color was when he was little!" Annabeth retorted.

"Oh, so it's  _my_ fault now?!" Nico shot toward Annabeth. "It's not my fault Percy wanted to know if I used to like the color blue when I was little!"

"Blue is a great color!" I argued. "How can anyone  _not_ like the color blue?"

Annabeth scoffed. "But Nico doesn't look like he'd like that color! He looks like he would like red or green when he was little."

"You  _do_ realize that I hate Christmas?" Nico groaned, slouching in his seat. "Half of my family passed away around Christmas time you know."

"Are we honestly arguing about this again?" I stopped Annabeth and Nico before they would lash out at each other again. "We've already established that he liked the color orange when he was little so can we stop?"

"But  _why_ would he even like the color orange?!"

"Because Halloween was my favorite holiday!"

"Halloween shouldn't even count as a holi-"

"Guys!" I yelled. "Stop!  _Please._ "

Annabeth and Nico both grumbled under their breaths. Even if they were best friends, I couldn't even believe they would argue over Nico's favorite color when he was little. That was the most ridiculous thing to quarrel over, but I guess it was my fault since I asked Nico if he ever liked the color blue at one point in his life. It was then that Annabeth started guessing what Nico's favorite color should be.

Silena and Tyson were just watching in amusement at the little argument that took place. Man, Nico and Annabeth could  _really_ argue about anything. It was just their competitive nature or something. Did all smart people have that competitiveness in them?

Silena giggled. "Who knew Annabeth and Nico could get into an argument about something other than Percy?"

" _He_  started it!" Annabeth and Nico accused, pointing dangerously toward me.

"I just wanted to know if he liked blue alright?" I raised my arms up into the air as if I were getting arrested. It certainly  _felt_ like it with the way Annabeth and Nico were glaring at me.

The waitress returned and handed Silena her credit card which she thanked her for. The waitress nodded and proceeded to attend another group at a different table.

"Okay, guys." Silena stood up from her cushioned chair. "Let's go home. I want to bake a cake!"

"We just had cake," Nico remarked tiredly, gesturing toward the empty plates that were set on the table.

"And?" Silena grinned from ear to ear. "Come on! We just went to the grocery store to buy stuff to make something! Let's make a cake! And you two"-Silena turned toward Tyson and me-"are going to bake the cake with us!"

I raised an eyebrow. "We are?"

"Yes, you are!" She exclaimed. "Come on! Let's  _g_ o." Silena tugged on Nico's arm who almost fell out of his chair at the action.

"I'm going, I'm going!" Nico stumbled, holding on Silena's shoulder for support. Annabeth and Silena both laughed at his antics, and Nico tsked in annoyance.

But I just couldn't help but feel jealousy run cold throughout my body when I watched Nico and Silena. The kiss between them earlier did not help my situation. I had to ask one of them about that later.

Tyson jumped up from his seat and raced over to my seat. "I want to make a cake!" His eyes were wide and dilated from excitement, and I smiled at him.

"Fine, fine. I have to tell Mom where we're going first, okay?"

Tyson nodded excitedly before following Annabeth, Silena, and Nico out of the restaurant. I trailed behind them, reaching for my cell phone in my pocket.

And of course, my luck ran out. My phone wasn't there.

My heart beat fast in my chest as I checked every pocket that adorned my clothes. I even checked the chair that I sat at in the restaurant. But it wasn't there.

What if it fell out when I was talking to my dad? It could've fallen out anywhere in this damn mall!

I gritted my teeth in frustration before storming out of the place. Silena, Annabeth, Nico, and Tyson were waiting for me outside. Maybe Tyson told them that I was telling my mom we were going with them.

Nico was staring at me curiously. "Something wrong?"

"My phone isn't here." I sighed exasperatedly, running a hand through my hair.

Annabeth arched her eyebrows. "It's not? Did you check the restaurant?"

"I did. It could've fallen out anywhere."

"Do you want me to come to help you and find it?" Nico offered, stepping forward.

I shook my head. "It's fine. Silena, why don't you go take them around to other places and I'll just retrace my steps or something."

"Are you sure you don't want someone to go with you?" Annabeth asked. "Nico or I could go with you."

"It's fine, Annabeth, but thanks anyway." I nodded and turned around, heading toward Wetzel's Pretzels once again.

I ran a hand through my hair once more. Where could it even have gone?

I ended up stopping in front of the cursed pretzel store. I scanned the store through the transparent glass entrance quickly, and to my luck, no one was sitting at the table I was at before. That was good since I didn't want to look for my phone while random people were over there at the same time.

I proceeded to open the door until something hit me lightly on the side of my head. I narrowed my eyes and turned around only to find my phone in my face.

"You left it in there." It was the voice I hoped to never hear again.

I snatched it out of his head and shoved it into my pocket. My eyes flickered up to the pair of eyes that I seemed to have as well.

"I don't owe you anything if that's what you want," I spat at him.

He shook his head. "I just want you to tell your mother one thing if that's alright?"

"Why would I do anything for-?"

"Tell her I'm sorry."

My eyes widened and everything around me froze. But before I could say anything, he was gone.

That was the last time I ever saw Poseidon Jackson.


	35. Part 4) Chapter Thirty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to work on making my chapters super long again like I used to back in the good old days in the early The Violin That Started it All chapters. Let's see how that works out this time...

**Percy Jackson**

* * *

I decided to call Annabeth and ask her where they were taken to by Silena instead of running around in circles because apparently there was more than one fountain at this outdoor mall and I had no idea.

I was sitting on the edge of one of those fountains actually. It was a very long and narrow fountain that sprayed water upward into the air and created rainbows in four different places in the fountain. The water was a magnificent, sky blue color, and it was absolutely clear. I could detect the various coins thrown into the fountain without a problem. I could even tell the difference between a nickel and a quarter in the fountain from where I sat.

However, instead of Annabeth answering her phone, Silena answered in her place.

"Percy!" She exclaimed into the other side of the phone. "Did you ever find your phone yet?"

"Isn't he calling from his own cell phone though?" Annabeth's voice sounded distant in the background.

"Oh yeah." Silena laughed lightly. "Right. Forgot about that."

"Obviously." It was as if I could  _hear_ Annabeth rolling her eyes at Silena's antics.

"Is that Percy?" Nico's voice called from somewhere wherever they were. "Tell him to get here and fast! Please, Percy,  _please._ "

I furrowed my eyebrows which was kind of weird because no one that I was talking to could see my reaction. "Where are you guys anyway?" I chuckled to myself. "I was actually supposed to ask you that before anything else, but I guess it's too late for that now."

"Just a  _little bit_ late." Silena giggled. "Also, to answer your question, we're at the ice cream store! Do you know where it is?"

"We've been here four times already!" Nico yelled from wherever he was suffering on Silena's side of the phone. "I'm so sick of this place! And of ice cream! It's fucking September isn't it too cold for ice cream?"

"It's never too cold for ice cream!" Silena cried in response. "How do you not see the greatness of ice cream?!"

"I probably would have a while ago if we haven't eaten here four times!" Nico retorted.

"But there's no such thing as too much ice cream either! I heard Silena stomping her foot against the ground-probably out of frustration.

"There is now!" Nico yelled back. "Damn it, Silena, if you eat ice cream so much, then how in  _hell_ do you stay in shape?"

Silena laughed. "Nico, there's something called  _exercise._ "

"What?" Nico asked. "What is this term that you speak of? I have never heard of such a  _horrifying_ word.

"Nico, Nico, Nico," Silena chided. "When was the last time you actually ran a mile?"

There was a short silence. I was debating on whether or not I should intervene and ask them where they were instead of listening to their quarrel in one ear while the other ear heard the conversations of all of the shoppers and tourists around me.

Why tourists came to New York at the beginning of September still remained a mystery for me. Then again, there were a lot of interesting and somewhat unique people all around New York.  
When I opened my mouth to interrupt their unnecessary fight about the "greatness" of ice cream, Nico interjected.

"The last time a ran a mile was probably a few months ago in the last school year when I was running away from Clarisse." Nico chuckled faintly. "After all this time, I still can't believe she hates me. Even Luke stopped hating me, but that was probably because of Annabeth."

"You're welcome then." Annabeth laughed lightly. Her voice sounded closer than Nico's, so I assumed she was sitting next to Silena who held the phone while Tyson and Nico sat somewhere farther. They were probably sitting in some booth or something and Nico and Tyson were across the table from Annabeth and Silena.

"But still!" Silena groaned. "You haven't run a mile in  _at least_ a few months? That's crazy, Nico! How do  _you_ stay in shape?"

Nico scoffed. "I don't."

"Nico!" Silena wailed. "We should start some exercise regime for you! Then you can fit even  _more_ ice cream into your body!"

"I'm pretty sure the purpose of exercise isn't for more space for junk food," Nico stated with slight amusement lacing his voice.

"And I'm quite surprised Silena actually used the word  _regime_ in a sentence and actually made it work," Annabeth pointed out, causing Nico to have the sudden realization to who congratulated Silena on expanding her vocabulary.

"Hey!" Silena mocked offense. "I can be smart."

Nico hummed. "Sure you can, Silena."

Annabeth chuckled. "Definitely."

I could faintly make out Tyson laughing at the argument taking place right before my very ears.

And no, it wasn't right before my very eyes because I wasn't even there.

"I'm... just going to ignore everything that just happened within the span of five minutes," I muttered, but a smile sat upon my lips. "But anyway, I know what ice cream store you're talking about. I-uh-don't know where it is actually."

"Oh, well that's fine!" Silena replied cheerfully through the phone. Seriously, how can one stay as optimistic as Silena Beauregard? Actually, there was a simple answer to that question: It was impossible. There was absolutely no one in the world that could be as optimistic as Silena Beauregard.

Silena hummed. "Maybe Annabeth could go get you?"

"Can I go get Percy?" Nico pleaded. "I'm so tired of this ice cream store. Just being  _near_ this place makes me a little bit sick."

"At least it's only a  _little bit_ sick," Silena remarked. "See? It's progress! And, no you cannot go to get Percy! You haven't even tried every single flavor that this place has on their menu yet!"

Nico groaned. "Oh, and Annabeth has already done that?"

"She did actually!" Silena giggled happily.

Annabeth sighed exasperatedly. "Unfortunately, yes, I did try every single flavor that this ice cream store had on their menu in under an hour."

"You had to eat  _every single ice cream flavor in under an hour?_ " Nico repeated incredulously in the form of a question. "Did I just hear that right?"

"Unfortunately, once again, you heard right." Annabeth sighed. "Never again will I eat so much ice cream in under an hour."

"Oh fuck," I barely heard Nico murmur. "If Annabeth couldn't even handle Silena's surreal amount of ice cream, then I probably don't even stand a chance." There was a short pause before Nico cried, "Wait, all the flavors of this store in under an  _hour?!_ I actually heard you right?"

Annabeth laughed lightly. "This is probably my fourth time saying it, but yes, unfortunately, you did hear me right."

Nico groaned. "Perfect. Absolutely perfect," he grumbled. "Can I go get Percy  _please?_ "

"No!" Silena demanded. "Annabeth, go get Percy since you've already done the challenge. After Nico's done, your next, Tyson."

I couldn't really see what Tyson's reaction to that was since I was on the opposite end of a phone call, but I had a feeling Tyson was  _very_ excited about eating all of the store's ice cream flavors in under an hour. I remember when Silena made me do that a year or two ago.

Jeez, has it really been that long since then? It was before I met Nico, that much I definitely knew.

"Okay, okay," Annabeth said. "Since I'm going to get Percy, I need my phone back."

I heard a few shuffling noises before hearing Annabeth's voice again, but it was much clearer than before.

"Did you hear that Percy? Where are you?" Annabeth questioned into the phone.

"In front of Wetzel's Pretzels," I simply replied.

"So your phone really was there?"

I debated on whether to tell her about finding my dad and him handing it to me. Should I tell her about what he said to me about my mom?

I came to the conclusion that I would tell her on the way to wherever this ice cream store was. I've been there tons of times thanks to Silena how did I forget where the ice cream store was located?

"Uh," I stuttered momentarily, "to simply answer your question: Yes, it was there."

"And what's the complex answer?" Annabeth asked with puzzlement obvious in her voice.

"I'll tell you when you get here," I said. "I think it's just going to be easier saying it to you in person."

Annabeth hummed. "Okay, if you say so. I don't know the story yet so it's not like I can judge your decision. Alright, I'll be there soon, so just wait a bit for me okay?"

"Yeah, sure Annabeth." I thanked her before pulling the phone from my ear and hanging up. I heaved a deep sigh before watching my surroundings for awhile as a source of entertainment.

Many different types of people passed by the various stores that I sat by in the edge of the fountain. People of old age, young couples, loud friends who wanted to hang out over the weekend before school started up again on Monday, family, kids who wanted to grow older a lot faster, workers who worked at this mall on their short break, and so many more people came through the area that I was in. It was kind of fascinating watching the different people who trudged by.

I had heard from somewhere that I couldn't recall at the moment that the brain held memories that you couldn't even remember yourself. Everything that you saw was recorded and kept somewhere in the brain, and it was why some of the people in your dreams were people that you didn't recognize. Some of those unrecognizable people in your dreams were actually people that you've seen with your own eyes but you didn't concentrate on that person for very long because that person probably passed by you on the sidewalk or you saw them driving through the car mirror or something. It was pretty cool thinking that the strangers in my dreams were actually people that I had seen in my lifetime but I just didn't remember them. My brain definitely remembered them, but I certainly didn't.

There was a light breeze in the air now that summer was fading away and fall was beginning to make an appearance. It had been a week or so since school had started, and I'm must say, now that the supposedly two hardest years of high school-sophomore and junior year-were over, being in high school wasn't all that bad. Maybe it was because I wasn't taking the crazy, hardcore classes that Annabeth was taking, but at least I didn't have to deal with the SAT and ACT anymore. I  _hated_ those tests. Annabeth obviously passed with flying colors, and fortunately, I managed to pass as well, barely.

I tugged at my jacket as a sharp wind blew by, messing up my hair even more than it should have been. The trees rustled, and some brown leaves drifted away from their original place up in the branches. The ground was beginning to be blanketed in multiple hues of orange, yellow, and brown. It was actually a beautiful sight to see even if it did actually happen every year. I could just never get tired of watching nature slowly change as time passed.

Nico had been talking to me a long time ago while reading  _To Kill a Mockingbird_ for his English class about the symbolism of the sun cycle. At first, he was just mumbling what he was typing for his fifteen-page assignment, but then I spoke up and asked him what he was even writing about. Then he told me he was talking about the symbolism demonstrated in the sun cycle that English teachers made up. Nico still held the belief that authors made stories for people to enjoy the plot instead of being analyzed by psycho English teachers. Then again, I believed that too.

The sun, according to Nico, represented life. The sunrise would indicate the beginning of someone's life, the morning would symbolize the adolescent years of a person, the afternoon would indicate the middle of someone's life, and the sunset showed the end of someone's life. Even if it was probably something that English teachers made up, it was still kind of nice thinking about such an idea. Ever since then, I had always liked watching the sun.

Oops, I accidentally tuned into a philosophical English teacher while waiting for Annabeth to come and get me. I guessed she took too long; apparently, I became a philosopher because someone kept me waiting.

Note to self: Never let anyone keep you waiting.

The thought of Nico then sent my mind spiraling downward as I thought of the complicated relationship between Nico and me. I still had no idea if we were actually dating again or not. I mean, he kissed me and actually gave me the privilege of seeing him smile, so I had thought our relationship was okay. But ever since the incident of Nico's father's death was enlightened, I felt as if our relationship status was the least of his worries. I wanted to bring it up to sort out all of the crap about it swirling around in my head, but I didn't want Nico to deal with anymore than he already has. Silena and everyone else were already trying to cheer him up, so why should I bring his mood down by bringing up what was going on between us? I wasn't  _that_ cruel no matter how much I wanted to know what Nico thought of me at the moment.

And Silena... What was that kiss in the coffee shop all about? That was the second major question that kept jabbing me in the brain. I couldn't think of any answer that actually satisfied me. Did Silena like Nico? Or did Nico make the first move? What would I do if I learned that Nico made the first move?

My head pounded harshly and I gritted my teeth out of sheer frustration. I hated not knowing answers. It was just like my calculus homework except they actually gave you the answers to all of the odd answers in the back of the book so you could check and see if you got the right answer and were actually doing the homework right.

This, my dear readers, was why I did not like to think at all.

"Percy!"

I saw a pair of fingers snap in front of my face and I blinked momentarily. My gaze trailed upward before my eyes met startling gray ones.

"Annabeth!" I laughed lightly. "You sure took your time."

Annabeth shrugged with an amused smile. "Silena told me to go as slow as I could so she could make Nico eat more ice cream."

The questions were beginning to reappear at the front of my mind and I couldn't even push them away. I narrowed my eyes at Annabeth's answer as I held distaste at the thought. I didn't really like this feeling though; I was losing faith in my own friends. Could I really not trust one of my own friends anymore?

Another snap in front of my face caught my attention once more. The hand recoiled onto Annabeth's hip who appeared extremely impatient with me.

"Why do you keep zoning out? Did I really keep you wait for that long?"

I chuckled. "I may have turned into a philosopher in my head while you were on the way here."

Annabeth blinked blankly at me. " _What_ are you even  _talking_ about?"

I shook my head, a smile gracing my lips. "Nothing, nothing. Not important."

Annabeth couldn't help but grin at the reference I made to an old memory. "Oh, you are  _not_ bringing that up again. The last time someone said 'Not important' ended up sitting in the nurse's office at school because he didn't bother telling us that his dad beat up his thigh and he couldn't even stand."

I laughed heartily. "And then that was when Silena demanded him to be our friend and we gave him the awkwardest group hug to have ever existed. It was so awkward I had to disregard grammar rules to describe how weird the experience was."

Annabeth nodded slowly in approval. " _Disregard..._ I like the new word. But anyway." She took a seat adjacent to me on the edge of the fountain. "Mind tell me what's going on in that head of yours? I feel like something  _very_ important is going through your mind right now."

I shook my head. "It's not important."

She nudged me lightly in the side with her elbow. "Oh come on, just tell me. You also have to explain the complex answer about where your phone was."

I sighed exasperatedly, glancing up at the darkening sky. "This is going to be a long conversation."

Annabeth chuckled. "We have the rest of our lives for this conversation. Now, come on." She nudged me again as a sign of extra encouragement. "Spill."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever you do,  _do not_ tell anyone."

Annabeth nodded firmly and confidently. "I promise I won't."

I exhaled deeply. "Do you know what happened back in that café where I was yelling at Silena?"

Annabeth nodded a second time. "At first, I had no idea what was happening at the time. But Silena explained it to me later on." Sympathy clouded her eyes, but she averted her gaze.

"Yeah, well, I'm just" - I ran an exhausted hand through my messy, black hair- "I'm just overthinking things. What even happened back there? Why did Silena... Why did she do it?" I growled. "I can't even say it out loud." I scoffed. "How pathetic."

"Percy," Annabeth whispered, before turning to me with a newfound determination in her eyes. "It's  _not_ pathetic. We, as humans, experience a lot of different emotions throughout our lifetime. It's not your fault for not being able to say what happened out loud. At least you've actually accepted the facts instead of turning them away and believing that it was all a hallucination." She turned her head away to watch more people window shopping. "I learned something a few months ago, and it was that you can't control your feelings. Feelings and emotions weren't meant to be controlled in the first place. They're this... unnatural force that takes whatever path it wants.

"But you know what, Percy?" Annabeth rested her chin in the palm of her hand. "You've got to learn to accept it. I applaud you for already accepting it though. But you know what else also leads to absolute disaster? Miscommunication. The more you assume things in your mind without talking it out to Nico or Silena; you'll most likely end up believing something that isn't even true at all. It might not even be  _close_ to the truth, but because you were overthinking it so much, some new, random answer appeared in your mind. Miscommunication often leads to disaster. Do you remember reading Romeo and Juliet in ninth grade?"

I nodded silently in response. I felt like my own voice would ruin Annabeth's wise advice.

"Romeo and Juliet would've lived in the end if it wasn't for the miscommunication. Because Friar John was helping the sick and he didn't send the letter containing Juliet's success in drinking the potion inside, Romeo was never informed on the fact that Juliet wasn't actually dead, but it was just the effect the potion has that Friar Lawrence made. So, Romeo drank poison right next to Juliet and killed himself because he thought she was actually dead and the news of what actually happened couldn't reach him in time, and he died minutes before the potion wore off and Juliet woke up only to find her husband lying dead next to her. Along with Paris somewhere in there but that's irrelevant to my topic."

"Wow, poor, rejected Paris." I chuckled, and Annabeth joined in shortly after.

She waved her hand dismissively. "But do you see my point? You have to talk to them, like,  _really_ soon before you think too much again." Annabeth punched me lightly in the shoulder. "I didn't think I'd find the day that I would have to tell you to stop thinking too much."

I laughed. "Gee, thanks for that unnecessary comment, Annabeth."

She grinned innocently. "No problem. Do you feel better now?"

I had to admit, I definitely did feel better now. I mean, my headache was still there, but only faintly. And I felt more enlightened, and the questions filling my brain were now longer making their way to the front of my mind. It was weird, but it literally did feel like a weight was completely lifted off my shoulders. Then again, I had always wondered what carrying the sky would be like.

Annabeth pushed herself up from her seat in the edge of the fountain, and she held out her hands which I graciously took. I thanked her once she pulled me up, and she only nodded in acknowledgment.

"Now that that's settled." Annabeth turned toward me. "You have to tell me the situation about where your phone was."

I groaned tiredly. "This really is a long conversation," I grumbled under my breath.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Get used to it, Seaweed Brain. Tell me."

I sighed heavily once more before recalling my tale.


	36. Part 4) Chapter Thirty-One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After this chapter, I have two more chapters left and the epilogue for you guys. (I'm also adding a little extra chapter after the epilogue explaining how Percy knew how to suddenly have sex with guys. I wanted to keep a secret, but it could be considered a plot hole without answering it which bothers me.)

**Percy Jackson**

* * *

Annabeth nodded slowly in acknowledgment. "I see. That's... interesting to say the least."

I sighed. "Yeah, I know. It's just one confusing thing after another. I would ask him what he means by it, but I don't even know how to reach him."

"Maybe he meant for it to be that way," Annabeth remarked. "Maybe he wanted to keep it a secret forever. Hopefully, your mom will know what he means when you tell her his message."

"Yeah," I muttered. "Maybe."

"Well, always look on the good side. At least you found your phone." Annabeth offered me a smile which I returned.

I shrugged, adding a small chuckle. "I guess that's true."

I had spent the whole walk over to the ice cream store about the "complex answer" that I told Annabeth about over the phone about the location of my phone. I had thought that it was a long story, but either the ice cream store was really far or my story was just shorter than I expected it to be.

Maybe that was why Annabeth took so long on getting me and I ended up turning into a philosopher.

It was silent between us for a while, but it was anything but uncomfortable and tense. The wind blew through our hair and clothes, tangling Annabeth's hair and making mine messier than usual. Leaves from nearby planters fell down as they became scattered all over the floor. The leaves on the ground were disorganized, but they still had this beauty to them. Kind of like Nico's disheveled hair I suppose.

"So," Annabeth started, "what are you going to do about Nico?"

I shrugged, shoving my hands onto my jacket pockets. "I don't even know where to start. Do I go to Nico first? Or do I go to Silena first?"

Annabeth frowned deep in concentration. "Well, it depends. Do you want answers first or do you want complications settled?"

"Answers first," I replied almost immediately. "Because then the complications wouldn't be so complicated anymore."

Annabeth grinned. "Good choice, Seaweed Brain. Nico's intelligence is starting to run off on you."

"What about your intelligence?"

She scoffed. "Oh, Percy, please. I think you became stupider when we dated, but now that you're with Nico, you've become ten times smarter."

I laughed lightly. "Oh really? I'm not even dating Nico though."

She waved her hand dismissively. "You will be very soon, Percy." Annabeth punched my shoulder as a friendly gesture. "Also, since you want answers first, it's better if you go to Silena since she was the one who initiated the kiss, not Nico."

"Did Nico..." I gulped out of sheer nervousness. "Did Nico kiss her back?"

Annabeth shook her head much to my relief. "Silena told me he didn't. I'm sure Nico is still attached to you." She grinned. "I doubt anything will keep you apart for very long."

I smiled softly. "I hope not." I ran a hand a hand through my hair. "I feel like I've been a mess ever since the breakup."

"At least you don't look like a zombie anymore," Annabeth remarked, earning her a roll of my eyes.

"You should've  _seen_ the constant dreams I had last week." I sighed deeply at the many memories I shared with Nico over the summer. "Actually, scratch that. I don't want you seeing me giving Nico a... Actually, let's not get into detail."

Annabeth made a face. "Yeah, let's not get into detail." She shivered at the mental image I accidentally put into her mind. "God, I can't even  _imagine_ Nico doing such a... thing."

I laughed heartily. "Imagining him doing it is the best thing."

Annabeth shoved me so hard I was afraid I would fall into the nearby fountain.

"Don't  _ever_ bring that up about Nico ever again!"

"Why are we not bringing me up anymore?"

Annabeth and my gaze shot toward a very enthusiastic Silena Beauregard, a laughing Tyson Jackson, and a very exhausted Nico di Angelo.

Annabeth and I exchanged glances in search of an answer to his question.

"Nothing?" I answered nervously.

Nico crossed his arms over his chest, narrowing his dark brown eyes at Annabeth and me. "That didn't sound very convincing."

Annabeth chuckled softly. "I'm not sure you want to know the actual answer, Nico."

He raised an eyebrow. "Do I really not want to?"

Annabeth and I nodded simultaneously.

Nico smiled with a shrug of his shoulders. "Whatever you say."

"Oh!" Silena exclaimed suddenly. "You guys should've seen Nico when I made him eat every single flavor of ice cream in the store!"

"No, actually, you don't really want to see it." Nico exasperatedly sighed. "I regret everything."

"I regret nothing!" Silena giggled, jumping around excitedly. "We should go on the Ferris wheel!" She stared with wide, wondrous eyes toward the giant, towering wheel in the middle of the mall. It was growing to be evening now, and the lights installed into the Ferris wheel began to change and blink, showing patterns just like a light show.

Tyson gasped. "I want to go on the Ferris wheel!"

"See?" Silena grinned like an excited child-pretty much like Tyson. "We should go!"

"Then who's paying?" Annabeth set her hands on her hips.

Silena raised her hand with our hesitation, and everyone's eyes shot toward her.

"Oh no, you're not." I stepped forward.

"This is just like the restaurant bill." At this point, Nico seemed like he was ready to go home and call it a day.

"Are you going to pay for  _all_ of us?" Annabeth arched a challenging eyebrow.

"Of course!" Silena smiled innocently.

Nico rolled his eyes. "Look"-he ran a hand through his soft, dark brown hair-"can we not have this argument again over who's playing and just get this over with?"

"Why don't we just split the bill?" Annabeth suggested. "It would be easier than just fighting over who pays for all of us. There's five of us, so one person pays for one person, one person pays for two people, and that one last person has to pay a bit extra. Or we can all just pay for ourselves of Nico agrees and then someone pays for Tyson." Annabeth furrowed her eyebrows. "Wait a minute, we have an advantage since children are free and Tyson is young enough to count as a child. So I guess there are only four people. So that would mean-"

"Annabeth?" Nico interrupted, shoving his hands into his jacket pockets once a harsh breeze rushed by.

"Yeah?"

"Silena already paid." He nodded his head over to Silena who was grinning at the man in charge of the Ferris wheel.

My eyes widened. "How did she-"

"No idea," Nico cut me off, crossing his arms across his chest. "I guess when it comes to paying for other people, Silena is first in line. And I mean  _literally._ There's no one in line for the Ferris wheel but her."

I could faintly see Silena pivot on the tips of her feet and wave at us, gesturing for us to approach her. She was grinning from ear to ear, but I couldn't help but feel bad for letting her pay for every one of us-except Tyson, I guess.

Annabeth groaned. "Of course she already paid for us. I mean, why wouldn't she?" Annabeth jogged over to Silena's location, scolding her for not splitting the bill fairly with everyone else. I could faintly see Silena laughing and running the back of her neck as Tyson began to run after them toward the Ferris wheel.

Nico glanced over at me with an unreadable expression. "Well, I guess we're going now. I'm afraid of heights actually."

I chuckled, attempting to keep the nervousness out of my voice for being left with Nico alone. "Yeah, so am I."

Nico managed a small smile. "I guess we're both in the same page then. Should we try to bail out of it?"

I shrugged my stiff shoulders. "I'm sure Silena is stubborn enough to make us go on it."

" _Too_ stubborn if you ask me," Nico mumbled, shifting his gaze toward the ground.

I offered him a sympathetic smile. "When you know Silena, you're just forced to deal with her stubbornness."

Nico's smile widened. He shoved his hands into his back pockets and locked eyes with me. "Should you even be talking about stubbornness?"

I scoffed, and my smile soon became one of amusement. "Are you suggesting that I'm stubborn?"

"Are you  _even_ asking me that question?" Nico arched an eyebrow, disbelief evident in his voice. "You, Perseus Jackson, are  _the most_ stubborn person I have ever met."

I placed a hand over my heart. "Oh, Nico, you flatter me too much. I'm even more stubborn than Silena? How wonderful of you to compliment me in such a manner."

Nico blinked blankly at me for about two seconds before bursting out into laughter. "I never even knew you could sound so sophisticated!" When our laughter died down, he sighed contentedly. "Since when did you learn such big words?"

"I could be smart!" I protested, resulting in a chuckle from Nico. The more I talked to Nico, the more I realized just how much I truly missed him. Life without Nico di Angelo would just be a complete disaster like it was before.

"Guys!" I faintly caught Silena's voice. "Are you guys going to come with us?!"

"Yeah, we are," I yelled back before turning to Nico. Nico nodded at me and we both proceeded to approach Silena, Annabeth, and Nico at the entrance to the first cart of the Ferris wheel.

"Is this all?" The person in charge of the Ferris wheel raised an eyebrow and assessed our group. He must've been confused about us hanging out together: An emo-looking guy; a wealthy, cheerful girl with all the latest styles; a little boy who seemed too tall for his age; a girl who looked too intimidating even though she was wearing normal clothes; and then there was me. I mean, if I was that guy in charge of the Ferris wheel, I would've been confused about this unusual group as well.

"Yep!" Silena chirped, bouncing on the soles of her feet.

The two began to converse when I felt someone elbow me in my side. I furrowed my eyebrows and glanced to the side where Annabeth was giving me an expectant look.

"What?" Knowing the expression she was giving me, I knew I was supposed to do something and forgot to do it or something stupid like that.

"This is your chance!" Annabeth hissed at me, her gaze darting toward Silena and Nico for a split second before resuming its place back at me. "Don't you want to get answers from Silena as quick as you can?"

I massaged the back of my neck in hopes of relieving the tension there from the mere thought of having to interrogate one of my own friends. "I mean, yeah, I guess..."

"Then I'll help you get into a cart alone with Silena, okay?" She placed her hands on her hips, leaning her weight onto one leg.

I nodded slowly. "I don't even know what to ask her though."

Annabeth offered me a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. I can tell you're just nervous."

I scoffed. "You think?"

She rolled her eyes in an impatient manner. "Look," she continued in a hushed voice, "just think about what you want to know, and then form the mystery into a question. Your seaweed brain can do that, right?"

I chuckled lightly. "Yes, it can."

"Good," Annabeth said. "I'm sure you'll have plenty of time to talk with her on the Ferris wheel. I mean, the Ferris wheel goes around really slowly about two times, and each time it goes around it stops up at the top. So, you'll be fine."

I inhaled deeply. "Alright. I think I can do this."

Her smile widened as she patted me on the shoulder. "You better be able to do it, Percy. Let me go talk to Silena so she knows she's sitting with you."

"Are you going to tell her what I want to ask her?" My eyes widened at the thought, and my face turned pale.

"Do you really think I'd do that?" Annabeth shook her head, shaking her blonde ponytail back and forth. "I'm going to be extremely vague about it. But, I'm sure Silena won't mind."

She sauntered off in the direction of Silena. I could spot Silena nodding, and Annabeth smiled at the action. I was so engrossed in trying to figure out what they were talking about until I felt something sharply hit the side of my head.

"Ow," I muttered, turning my head in the direction only to jump ten feet in the air when I saw Nico. Was he that close to me before? Oh god, I was  _really_ hoping he wasn't there when Annabeth and I were talking.

"Are you okay?" Nico tilted his head to the side in puzzlement. "You seem like something's bothering you."

I shook my head slowly, the surprise and shock slowly fading away. "I'm... I'm fine. Good god, you gave me a heart attack, Nico."

Nico laughed slightly. "I could tell." His serious demeanor soon returned. "But, are you sure nothing's wrong? What's going on in that head of yours?"

I shook my head once more. "Nothing in particular really." I inhaled sharply. "How long were you standing there?"

Nico frowned. "A few seconds after Annabeth left to talk to Silena."

I let out a long, deep breath at the relieving answer. "That's good."

Out of the corner of my eyes, I could see Nico knit his eyebrows together in confusion, but, to my relief, he didn't comment on the subject.

Silena walked up to us with a big smile on her face. "Okay!" She clapped her hands together. "We're going to have two carts. Percy and I go in one, and Annabeth, Nico, and Tyson go in the other one. Is that okay with you guys?"

The confusion in Nico's features deepened, but he nodded nonetheless. I nodded as well, gulping at the inevitable conversation I would have to undergo with Silena. Tyson nodded readily, and I was quite surprised Tyson didn't object to the plan because I wasn't there until I saw Annabeth throw an arm around Tyson's shoulders and wink in my direction. I assumed Annabeth already thought ahead and talked to Tyson about it. She was way too smart for my own good.

"Cool!" Silena's grin brightened before the Ferris wheel worker instructed Silena and me to step carefully inside the first cart of the Ferris wheel.

Once the door closed behind me and Silena and I settled into the seats across from each other, I was suddenly aware of how small the cart was and how cold the seats were.

I chewed the inside of my cheek as Silena sighed contentedly.

_If only I could be that happy right now instead of feeling so nervous_ , I thought to myself before Silena's eyes flickered upward to me quizzically.

Our cart shifted upward so the next cart could be open for Annabeth, Nico, and Tyson. It was then that I also realized that I had to start talking before it was too late.

_Here goes nothing._  I sighed mentally as Annabeth's words replayed in my head.

_"Look, just think about what you want to know, and then form the mystery into a question."_

And that was exactly what I was going to do.

I rested my palms against the freezing seat of the Ferris wheel cart before locking eyes with Silena's blue ones.

"Why did you kiss Nico?"


	37. Part 5) Chapter Thirty-Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 5 is literally 2 chapters long: This chapter and the next chapter. Enjoy it, I guess.
> 
> CHANGE OF POV: Silena->Nico

**Silena Beauregard**

* * *

It was as if my blood ran cold. I had thought he had forgotten about the whole ordeal, but then again, that was pretty impossible. I mean, if I were in his place, I would never be able to forget let alone forgive.

Would Percy Jackson forgive me?

As I stared across from him in the Ferris wheel cart in silence, I noticed how tense Percy was, but he appeared to be emotionless. In fact, it frightened me to see Percy that way-it was rare to see him like that.

I parted my lips, but I couldn't think of anything to say that would sound the least bit satisfying. Should I just tell him outright? Percy was my friend; I couldn't just hurt his feelings like that. But then again, lying to him would hurt even more.

I gulped nervously. I was just glad Percy stayed silent instead of rushing me for an answer; the answer would've been the complete opposite of what I planned to tell him if he rushed me for a proper response.

My head lowered until my gaze rested upon the hands in my lap. I fiddled with my fingers a little bit before taking a deep, but quiet, breath.

"I like Nico," I practically whispered, hot tears brimming the edge of my eyes. "I really, really do. But... But don't get me wrong. I really do want you and Nico to get back together. I just..." I wracked my brain as hard as I could so that it didn't seem like I was against him. But what could I say? My simple-well, it was pretty complex-action of kissing him showed just how much I was against Percy and Nico together.

Percy stayed silent, and I frowned, trying to find an answer. Instead, I couldn't find one after what seemed to be forever, so I sighed and slumped back into my seat.

Putting my head into my hands which rested upon my knees, I didn't know what to say but apologize.

"I'm sorry, Percy," I whispered, tears brimming my eyes. "I like Nico so, so much, but..." My lips quivered as I attempted to blink back the hot tears.

A single tear escaped my eyes, and I quickly wiped the nuisance away. I heard Percy shifting in his seat, and I flinched out of shock when I felt his hand softly caressing my cheek. My eyes widened as I stared at Percy who was offering me a reassuring smile from where he kneeled on the ground.

"I didn't want you to apologize." Percy chuckled nervously. "You can't apologize for something you couldn't control. All I wanted to know was why you... did it. That's all." He took in a shaky breath. "I just wanted to clear some things up. You said you still wanted Nico and me together?"

I nodded firmly and confidently. This was a topic that I could definitely write an essay and talk about all day long.

He raised an eyebrow, his small smile fading. "Really? Why is that, since you happen to like Nico a lot?"

"Because," I began as if I were at some important conference and I were stating my reasons and statistics. "Before I realized my feelings, I always liked the way that you two got along. It was as if you guys were meant to be together since the very beginning. It would just suck if I didn't help and I never get a benefit." I chuckled weakly.

Percy's sea green eyes darkened as his hand retracted. "What benefit? Wouldn't seeing Nico and me together make you angry?"

I was at a loss for words then. I fumbled with my hands in my lap. "I..."

Percy shook his head with a small sigh, standing up and returning to the bench on the other side of the Ferris wheel cart. "I guess it doesn't matter at this point. I got my answer, so I don't really need anything more."

"Are you sure?" I hesitantly questioned in a timid voice.

Percy grinned. "Jeez, Silena, I don't think I've ever seen you so scared like this before."

I smiled in amusement. "I mean"-my gaze found my lap once more-"I don't want to lose one of my friends. It's probably my worst fear... But, once I talk this out with Nico-"

"He's treating you just fine right now, right?"

My head turned to look up at Percy, who had his arms resting upon the top of the seat with his eyebrows raised.

"Well, yeah, I guess. But-"

"If there's one thing I learned"-Percy brought his hands together with his elbows upon his knees-"It was to never over-think something. Thank Annabeth for that one, not me." He laughed lightly. "So, just take what you have now until you talk to Nico and sort it all out. Annabeth's been forcing me to do that until I talk to you and Nico. Also"-Percy inhaled sharply-"Did Nico... Did he kiss you back?"

I was a bit taken aback by the question, but when it finally registered in my mind I shook my head so rapidly I was afraid I would shake the Ferris wheel cart with me. "No! Oh god, no. I mean, it would've been nice if he did, but he didn't, I swear.  _I_ wasn't even expecting him to when I kissed him." I chuckled nervously. "I would've probably pulled back from the shock if he did."

Percy smiled softly. "I guess Nico has that effect on people. Scaring people is his specialty. He probably didn't feel like scaring you this time."

I laughed; it was the biggest laugh I had this whole entire ride. "He doesn't scare his friends!"

"I wouldn't be too sure of that." Percy grinned. "Take Leo, for example. I know Leo is  _deathly_ afraid of Nico."

A question clicked on my mind and I couldn't stop my mouth from blurting it out. "Why do you have to talk to Nico?"

Percy arched an eyebrow as I practically slammed a hand over my mouth.

"I'm sorry!" I immediately apologized. "I didn't mean for that to come out!"

"It's fine." Percy shook his head. "I'm just... confused I guess. About my relationship with Nico, I mean."

I glanced down at the floor. "I noticed even after he chased and kissed you that he still acts as if it never happened. At least he's acting like a friend towards you, right?"

Percy chuckled lightly. "Yeah, he's not ignoring me anymore like before or being completely mean to me like before. Maybe I should just be happy with that."

I stomped my feet on the floor of the cart, earning a jump from Percy. "No way!" I exclaimed loud enough for the people outside the Ferris wheel to hear me-possibly even from the parking lot. " _You_ are talking this out with Nico as soon as possible! You guys just  _can't not_ be in a relationship!"

Percy raised an eyebrow, an amused smile forming. " _Can't not?_ "

"Can't not!" I repeated defiantly, jumping up from my seat. "So go out there and make me proud Percy!" I turned my gaze toward the window on the entrance to the Ferris wheel cart. "Or, just make me proud after the Ferris wheel ride ends."

He laughed. "Yeah, I'm certainly not going to jump out just to make you proud."

"Would you do it for Nico?" I smiled, tilting my head to the side and setting myself down into the bench.

Percy stared out the window at the night sky with a soft smile adorning his features. "Most likely."

* * *

**Nico di Angelo**

* * *

"Are you sure you're okay?" I frowned at Annabeth who glanced over at me with restless gray eyes. "You've been anxious ever since you stepped into here."

Annabeth, sitting across the cart from me, cracked her knuckles as if she were preparing to beat someone up. Hopefully, that someone wasn't me.

She sighed exasperatedly, wiping the palm of her hands on her thighs. "Sorry, I'm just..."

She groaned loudly before slumping in her chair and forgetting the question I just asked.

Tyson tugged on my sleeve. "Is Annabeth thinking about something bad?"

I shrugged at Tyson's worrisome gaze. "Probably. I'm not sure what it is though because  _someone_ refuses to tell me."

Annabeth arched an eyebrow, crossing her arms over her chest. "Are you referring to me?"

I shrugged once more. "Who knows?"

"Sorry, but I managed to convince Percy to do something that's all." She sighed again while resting her elbows on her knees.

"Something," I repeated with a faint voice. What was Percy even doing now?

I refused to acknowledge the burning and caustic feeling inside my chest. I couldn't help thinking about Silena and Percy... I mean, I could  _totally_ see it happen. It  _could_ happen, right? Silena was pretty. She was fun to be around, and she always lit up whatever room she was in. It seriously could happen.

My brain, however, doubted the idea of those two ever being together. I didn't think Silena would do that. The kiss back there... I didn't think she would actually date Percy. As for Percy... I didn't know anymore.

The Ferris wheel stopped so that the two carts we inhabited were at the top. Tyson bounded over to the small window by the door and scanned the night sky and the stars spread in various and numerous directions. Annabeth continued to appear as restless as ever, and I joined Tyson with watching the night sky from where I was sitting.

"Nico?" I heard Annabeth's voice. I glanced at her to find her chilling, gray eyes staring straight through me as if she possessed the power to read everything I was thinking about. I stayed quiet, waiting for Annabeth to say something.

She inhaled. "What do you think of your relationship with Percy right now?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Mine with Percy? What do you mean what do I think of it?"

She frowned. "I mean, I saw what you did outside the café. You kissed him, didn't you? And now you just seem to be acting like his friend. Don't you realize how many mixed signs you've been giving him?"

I averted my gaze toward the ground. I didn't  _mean_ to do that. I just... didn't know how to act around him. Were we together? I wanted to ask him, but it wasn't like I had enough time to be near him. I wanted to ask him  _here_ -in the Ferris wheel. But he went with Silena which was apparently something Annabeth knew about. I wanted to act friendly toward him, but I guess I sent the wrong signals.

Damn it, I thought  _I_ was hard to read, but I couldn't even see how Percy was feeling.

The Ferris wheel suddenly stopped, and our door swung open by the person in charge.

I exchanged glances with Annabeth, and I could read the message sent by her stormy gray eyes as clear as day.

_Talk to Percy_ , I read from her glance before she exited the cart with Tyson following close behind.


	38. Part 5) Chapter Thirty-Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After this: Epilogue. A little bit of smut will be in the epilogue. It won't be all out though. I'm also including one last special event before I end this story.

**Percy Jackson**

* * *

A week had passed since the incident at the mall. I had finally gotten my questions answered by Silena, and our friendship terms have returned to normal.

Nico and I on the other hand... Things have been the same since the mall. We acted as if we were friends whenever we were around each other. We could never find the right time to be alone and talk things out. Annabeth had tried-I could tell-but things would always backfire whenever someone from our group realized that Nico and I were speaking to each other again. I could also tell how hurt Annabeth appeared whenever we acted as friends together. It was weird just being friends and joking around with him. It felt so much more different than before, but it was better than being ignored by him.

The cold, dark brown eyes... I never wanted to be regarded by them again. If I could only just be his friend then... I would just be his friend. But I couldn't jump to conclusions just yet; I hadn't even talked to the guy. I couldn't assume things because then I was just end up over thinking which would lead to even more problems for me.

"Percy Jackson!"

I snapped out of my thoughts and the realization hit me harder than the time Jason got hit with a brick. Where the brick came from was still a mystery to this day.

"Yes?" I offered a small smile toward the teacher who was slowly losing patience the more she stared at my weak attempt of a smile.

"Are you even paying attention?" She sighed, tapping the black Expo marker tiredly on her desk.

I laughed lightly. "Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

The teacher hummed, clearly not being fooled by my charade. "Okay then. If you were paying attention so well in my class, then tell me what Descartes' Rule is. Don't bother looking on the board I already erased it long ago. But since you were paying attention you would've already have known that."

I blinked blankly at her. Descartes' Rule? Why did that sound so familiar if I was supposed to have learned it just today?

Didn't Annabeth learn this concept last year? I totally remember making fun of the guy's name for some odd reason.

"Well?" A smirk slowly crept upon the teacher's face. "I'm waiting for your answer."

"I'm not sure what the actual rule states," I began, quite pathetically might I add, "but all I remember was that in order to find how many positive roots there are, you count how many times the sign changes in the equation or whatever. To find out how many negative roots there are, you plug in a negative x for each x there is, and then you figure out how many times the sign changes. After that, you find out the degree of the equation which tells you how many roots there should be and you could easily find out how many complex roots there should be."

By this point, I was completely out of air in my lungs. Jeez, was that a long rule or what? It didn't even give you an actual answer! It just told you the chances of the answer being positive or something! Why should I even bother with a rule like that anyway?

The teacher raised her eyebrows. "I'm impressed, Percy Jackson, you were paying attention. Good job."

She turned around with the Expo marker in her hand while reading out a problem from the book that had way too many x's and way too many numbers for me to count them all. Stupid polynomials and their stupid exponents.

I sighed exasperatedly, resting my head against my palm and glancing outside of the window beside me to spot the drama technology students gathering supplies for the stage of their next play. They appeared to be having way more fun than I was having in this classroom. I mean, would I rather gather wood for a stage or learn about dividing polynomials and synthetic division? I would much rather be gathering wood, thanks.

"Your homework is written on the board. Get started; you have around twenty minutes so you should be able to get the majority of the homework done."

After the teacher's voice, the sound of heavy textbooks hitting against the desk and the flipping of numerous pages followed shortly after. The tapping of pencils against the thin piece of paper resounded throughout the classroom.

My eyes trailed toward the board where a page number and a set of numbers were written at the top of the board. How someone so short was able to write all the way at the top of the whiteboard was a complete and utter mystery to me.

I sighed once more, only quieter this time. I didn't really feel like doing homework. Then again, did  _anyone_ in this world have a sudden urge to do homework? I didn't think so.

I had planned to talk to Nico before school started today, but I couldn't even find him! Apparently, he was still staying at Silena's house, and that got my blood boiling. I knew Silena wouldn't do anything to him, but just there mere thought of them together after what happened before... I didn't think I could be so furious over something like this...

So, here I was in my first class of the day.

Today was going to be a  _very_ long day.

* * *

The end of school finally arrived. When the bell signaling the end of school rang, I dashed out of there so fast I wouldn't have been surprised if someone asked me to join track.

I didn't know where he would be; he was damn good at hiding and concealing himself in the crowds of people now slowly shifting out of their last classes of the day. My eyes flitted back and forth along the school campus as my legs carried me all around the perimeter. The first place I checked was his last class, but he wasn't there either.

Them it clicked. Did he have work today? I never remembered his work schedule, but whenever he didn't have work he would go play his violin in the park after school, right? Should I check the library where he worked first or the park?

"Percy!"

Damn it all, why did everyone suddenly need me all of a sudden? And when did I start cursing so much? Nico really was rubbing off on me.

I turned around only for me to be enveloped in a tight hug. I chuckled deeply before pulling away and being met by sky blue eyes and a wide grin.

"Hey, Silena." I flashed her a smile right when Annabeth slowly approached us. "Hey, Annabeth."

She nodded toward me. "Hey there. Why do you look so restless today?"

I chuckled once more. "Is it that obvious?"

"It's  _very_ obvious, Percy." Silena giggled. "Are you worrying about something?"

Shaking my head, I replied, "Not really. I'm just trying to find Nico. Do you know where he is?"

"Did you check his class?" Annabeth crossed her arms over her chest with an eyebrow arched.

"It was the first place I checked when I got out of class." I exhaled deeply. "Does he work today? I was thinking of checking the library to see if he's there."

Annabeth nodded slowly. "He could be there. I don't know his work schedule though. Silena?"

Silena shook her head. "I don't know when he works either. I usually just try to drag him with me whenever I find him."

I laughed. "Don't you do that with everyone though?"

She nodded enthusiastically. "Yep! It's pretty great."

Annabeth hummed. "I would call my mom to see if Nico is there or not, but she never answers her phone." She shot me an expression of sympathy. "Sorry about that."

"It's fine." I waved my hand dismissively. "I can just go to the library and check. It's not that far from here anyway. Nico walks there, and since I drive, I should get there a lot faster."

"That's true." Annabeth smiled. "Good luck trying to talk to him."

"Good luck!" Silena grinned. I nodded at the two of them before dashing toward my car and heading toward the library that Nico worked at.

* * *

"And why should I answer you?"

I internally groaned. Why did Annabeth's mom have to hate me so much?

"Please just tell me." I would've pulled my best puppy dog look, but I already learned that it wouldn't work on austere and stern Athena Chase. "I just want to know where Nico do Angelo is. Doesn't he work here?"

She cocked up an eyebrow. "He does work here, yes."

"Then is he still here? Does he work today?"

"And what is your relationship with my employee?" Athena Chase leaned against the desk she was standing behind.

I frowned. What  _was_ my relationship with Nico?

"I just want to talk to him," I answered swiftly. "Please just let me see him. I swear to you I won't bother you anymore if you tell me."

Athena smiled. "Really? Doesn't that sound tempting?"

I smiled weakly. "Doesn't it, Mrs. Chase? So can't you just tell me where he might be as of right now?"

She shrugged. "Annabeth seems better now these days, so I guess I do owe you an answer. Nico  _does_ have work today, but after seeing the two textbooks he was holding in his hands, I allowed him to go home to finish up the amount of homework he had. Consider it a sudden day-off for him."

"So he's  _not_ here?"

She shook her head simply. And that was all I need to send me bolting out of the library along with her scolding words of no running allowed in the library. Well, that was too bad because I was already in the parking lot.

The next place to check was the park. And I knew exactly where he would be at Miles Square Park.

I twirled the beaded necklace around my neck that Nico had given to me for my birthday months ago. Of course I knew where he would be.

* * *

I practically jumped out of my car so fast that the air was knocked out of me. Why couldn't I just have an infinite supply of air? Did you know how useful that would be? I could go swimming for as long as I wanted!

I trudged into the large park, hoping that I would hear the sound of a bow gliding along the strings of a violin to form intricate and euphonious sounds that were pleasing to the ear.

I immediately headed for the back of the park, passing by various joggers, bicyclists, and families just enjoying the peaceful day. I strained my ear for any sound of a violin, hoping that I didn't have to track down Silena's house in order to find Nico. I felt as if I traveled the whole continent to find him.

I probably would do that if Nico ever disappeared though. I could definitely see myself traveling across the world for Nico di Angelo.

My steps faltered when I heard the beautiful music of a violin. A smile appeared on my face as my tensed shoulders that I hadn't noticed before slowly relaxed. It was the same song I head Nico playing the first time I heard him playing in this same park.

My feet automatically carried me toward the source of the music. And there he was. In the exact same spot that I found him in before.

It felt so much like déjà vu, and it actually made me pretty happy about that.

I stepped a bit closer toward him, and the euphonious melodies stopped. I switched my gaze from the violin over to Nico's wide, dark brown eyes that looked like it held the world's mysteries.

"Hey." I offered him a small smile as if I didn't search the whole galaxy for him. "Do you mind if I join you?"

He shook his head, setting down his bow and instrument once I took a seat beside him on the ground. A silence settled between us, but to me, it didn't feel as awkward as I thought it would have been. The sounds of the leaves brushing against each other up high in the trees and the branches rustling as the wind rushed past were all such soothing sounds to my ears. The nearby families and friends enjoying a peaceful and civil time at the park and even the sounds of the cars driving past on the streets nearby were enough to make me smile and be grateful for times like these that are able to weave their way into my life. Having Nico beside me made it all the more better.

But then again, I had to talk to him sooner rather than later. I mean, I did waste a whole lot of time running around for him when I should have been talking to him about where we were standing and what page we were on.

"Nico?" I turned my head slightly to glance at Nico adjacent to me. His eyes were closed, and I could help but admire his long eyelashes that gently brushed against his cheeks or his soft skin. Maybe even his dark brown hair that had this messiness to it that made him look sexy at the same time. Or his perfect jawline or the collarbone that I could barely see peeking out of the collar of his black shirt.

He opened his beautiful eyes and my gaze locked with his. I didn't even realize how close we were until I felt Nico's breath against my lips. We were silent for a little while; I wasn't sure why Nico didn't break the silence, but I couldn't. I was too lost in his eyes to even remember my name.

I blinked momentarily, clearing my throat and snapping Nico out of whatever thoughts were going through his brain. I had the sudden urge to lean away from him, but at the same time, I didn't want to. So I didn't, and neither did Nico.

"Yeah?" Nico finally responded after what seemed like another decade.

I was quiet for a moment. How was I supposed to form my thoughts into words without sounding so selfish, needy, or obsessive?

"Are you okay?" Nico shifted in his spot, resulting in our faces now being mere centimeters apart.

I nodded dumbly. This close proximity wasn't going down very well with my brain. Trying to form my thoughts into words wasn't working anymore.

I decided to just go with the flow and just say whatever was on my mind because Perseus Jackson trying to think wasn't going to progress the conversation any further than if I wasn't here at all.

"What is our relationship status?" I asked him before I could stop and mentally slap myself in the face. "Like, I don't understand. Are we-"

"Friends?" Nico furrowed his eyebrows at the thought, frowning slightly. "Are we dating again? I don't... I don't know either."

I sighed lightly. "Well, do you want to start dating me again?" I couldn't hear to look at Nico's expression, so I kept my gaze straight ahead. "Did you want to give me another chance?" I tried so hard not to sound absolutely selfish. I also attempted to keep the disappointment out of my voice in my next statement. "Or did you want to be friends like way before? Because I feel like we got past the ignoring stage."

Nico chuckled. "Yeah, we got past the ignoring stage. As for what we are..."

He trailed off, and I soon started to become terribly anxious for an answer. But I didn't want to pressure Nico into deciding now. If he wanted to wait and think about it, then I would give him however long he needed to think about it.

Avoiding his face, I stood up and dusted off my pants for any excess dirt or grass that decided to try and follow me home. "If you need time to think about it, you could've just said so." I glanced in his direction and offered a smile, but I never did look into his eyes. I was too afraid to. I didn't want to try and interpret him only to find an answer I didn't want to see.

The eyes were the window to the soul, but I was too scared to see what he was thinking.

"Percy?" He called right when I took a single step away.

I hummed in acknowledgement, waiting for his next words.

I could feel Nico's eyes on my back. But the emotions Nico were feeling were still a mystery to me. Was Nico glaring at me? Or was sympathy all you could see in his dark brown orbs? I didn't dare to look. No matter how much my brain wanted to see, my heart was too afraid of any sign of rejection.

"Why aren't you looking at me?"

Well, wasn't he fast at noticing? I guess you really couldn't lie to Nico di Angelo. How did I even forget that? Lying to Nico di Angelo was near to impossible.

I gulped, averting my gaze from straight ahead toward the floor. "No reason."

"Then look at me."

I laughed, though it came out more nervous that what I intended it to be. "Why do you care so much?"

"Because I miss seeing your emerald green eyes."

My lips tilted downward but I didn't know why. Shouldn't I have been happy after hearing that? Hell, I should've been  _ecstatic._ But for some reason, I felt something else in my chest, but I couldn't pinpoint what the emotion was.

I felt two arms wrap around me and my eyes widened. My shoulders immediately relaxed, and I didn't even know they were tensed in the first place.

"Look at me."

That demanding voice of Nico's certainly wasn't something you heard every day.

I hesitantly turned around, mentally preparing myself for whatever expression that could have been held on Nico's angelic face. Anger, disappointment, happiness, joy, sympathy... Anything could've have been revealed once I turned around.

But I didn't even turn around fully when I felt his arms shift from around my torso to around my neck, pulling my head down until I felt his soft lips against mine and his body pressing gently against me.

At this point in time, I was in a complete state of shock. How long had it been since I last kissed Nico? I swear it was only a few weeks ago, but it felt like it had been forever as if I had waited my whole life for this one kiss.

It was then when I wrapped my arms around Nico's waist and pulled him closer to me that I realized what I felt before that I couldn't pinpoint when I should've felt ecstatic. It was disappointment. Disappointment toward myself. Disappointment for everything that is did. And disappointment for my own brain for thinking that Nico's kind words toward me only a few seconds ago were a lie.

But I didn't have to worry about that anymore.

Out foreheads were still in contact with one another once Nico and I finally separated for air. At that moment, I just felt on top of the world. That the only things that existed were just Nico and me. But even that idea sounded just fine.

"I miss you, Nico."

Nico smiled, and tears trailed down his cheeks as his grip around my neck tightened. I couldn't help the tears that sprung to my eyes as well.

"I miss you too, Percy."


	39. Epilogue One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (I know Nico's birthday is January 28th, but when I wrote the first book, I didn't know when Nico's birthday was so I just made it January 29th. Sorry about that.)
> 
> There's also more chapters to the epilogue! (Why do I do this to myself.) So, this isn't the last chapter! Thanks for supporting me guys (And sorry for the massive delays; writer's block sucks blegh.)

**Nico di Angelo**

* * *

Here I am. Did you like how we explained our ridiculous love story to you guys? I surely didn't. Retelling it was certainly... not on my top things to do before I died. Why? I just didn't know. Reliving the whole thing was kind of frightening. Looking back on it, the reason for our breakup was way to incomprehensible for words. I overreacted, and let me tell you, no matter how terrible and shitty I felt, overreacting just made the situation that much worse.

Then again, whenever you break a bone, it grows to become stronger. Maybe that's what happened between Percy and me.

I'm not exactly sure what else to say. Percy made me say all of this mostly because he's pretty down about the fact that he had to explain what happened after we broke up, while I had to explain our relationship before it.

Frankly, this is my first time hearing what Percy had to say about it. It was Percy's first time hearing what I had to say as well. I guess that was... interesting.

As you can see, everything that I said happened at the very beginning... happened. I'm living with Percy, and I'm no longer bullied. Clarisse finally resorted to leaving me alone, and it turns out that Annabeth began dating Luke. You could just imagine Percy's reaction of his ex-girlfriend dating his boyfriend's bully (or would it be ex-bully?).

It has been exactly a year since Percy and I started dating: January 25th. My birthday was in four days, and Percy wanted to throw another huge party with only the people that I actually knew. Of course, I wanted to reject the whole event altogether, but we all knew how persistent Percy was, right?

"It's not going to be that bad!" Percy pouted in my direction. I only rolled my eyes and tried to concentrate on the food in front of me.

"I just hate these kinds of things you know? It's just too much work to put together, too much work to get everyone together, too much work to be social enough and talk to everyone, and too much work to clean everything up once everyone leaves." I dropped my fork. "It's basically a lose-lose-lose-lose situation."

"A lose-lose-lose-lose situation?" Percy raised an eyebrow.

"I'm actually really surprised you were able to keep up with how many 'lose' words I put into there."

He shrugged. "I guess I'm just a really good listener."

"Though, it's only to Nico that you're a good listener."

I chuckled, immediately recognizing the voice. "You've definitely got that right."

Arms were swung around my neck, and strands of blonde hair appeared in my line of vision. "Percy always seems to gain powers beyond his capabilities whenever he's near you, Nico."

Percy waved his arms wildly. "Annabeth! Too many big words!"

She laughed. "See? I bet if you said the exact same thing then he would be able to comprehend exactly what you're saying."

I rolled my eyes. "It's a ridiculous and unlikely theory, but at the same time I get the feeling that it's true."

Annabeth chuckled. "Basically. Now, what are you guys up to? Did I barge into something?"

I shook my head. "Not really."

Percy shook his head as well, though it was in a more disappointed feature than mine. "Nico is definitely going to avoid what we were just talking about."

Annabeth raised an eyebrow. "Is it okay for me to ask what you guys were discussing?"

I feigned ignorance, asking Percy, "What do you mean? I'm not avoiding anything," I said with a small smile.

I swear I saw Percy's eye twitch. "Right," Percy drawled in a doubtful voice.

Annabeth continued to be as perplexed as ever. "I... still don't understand the circumstances. Is it okay for me to ask... or?"

I opened my mouth in order to completely shoot down the statement, but Percy beat me to it.

"Nico doesn't want another birthday party." Percy pouted, resting his chin on his palm.

I nearly slapped my own face when I heard Annabeth's sharp gasp.

"You don't want another one? Why not? Did you not like the other one from last year?"

I sighed deeply. "It's not that. I'm just too lazy."

There was a short pause before I finally got a proper response. Well, I wouldn't have called it necessarily  _proper._

"What?"

I chuckled lightly. "I'm too lazy to go through all of that work. I just... don't want to do anything but relax or something."

"Percy?"

He hummed questioningly, directing his gaze above my head where Annabeth's eyes met his.

"Can I talk with you about something?"

I furrowed my eyebrows as Percy and Annabeth temporarily left the table and proceeded to discuss whatever matters they wanted to from across the restaurant. If they were talking about planning me a secret birthday party, I swear I would punch them both.

They were too far for me to eavesdrop on them, so I only continued swirling the spaghetti around with my fork in an attempt to distract my mind. Occasionally, I would glance toward their direction, and most of the time I looked over there it was always Percy becoming completely flustered and Annabeth appearing to be extremely persistent about something. I couldn't even tell if they were planning a secret birthday party anymore. Well, I guess I should be grateful for that.

After maybe ten minutes or so, they returned to the table I was at. I raised a questioning eyebrow at Percy, who only covered his mouth and stared at everything but me. And... Was his face red or was that just the lighting in the restaurant?

Annabeth, on the other hand, seemed extremely pleased about whatever the outcome was for their slightly disturbing conversation. It was only disturbing because of their reactions. I mean, what did she even do to Percy? I swear, it looked as if Percy wanted to crawl into a hole and die right then and there.

My gaze shifted between the two of them to gauge their everlasting reactions before asking, "Is it wrong of me to want to ask what you guys were just talking about?"

What scared me more was their reactions to that simple question; Annabeth laughed proudly while Percy only covered his face with his hands.

"You don't want to know, Nico." Percy's barely audible voice reached me through his hands.

"It's a surprise." Annabeth shot me a smile, and despite how sincere and genuine it was, I could only feel suspicious about the whole situation.

"Whatever you say." I sighed deeply, furrowing my eyebrows at them both and shoving a spoonful of spaghetti into my mouth.

Annabeth chuckled. "I'll say this though: I convinced Percy not to have a birthday party for you."

I almost threw my fork down instead of calmly-and failing, might I add-setting it down. "Okay, I've been trying to persuade Percy for a whole  _week._ How the  _fuck_ did you do it in ten  _minutes_?!"

Annabeth laughed more. "I just offered a different alternative to the birthday party. I swear you'll love it."

"A  _different_ alternative? And what is this  _alternativ_ e?"

She shrugged. "Like I said: It's a surprise. Right, Percy?"

Percy frowned. "Right."

"Does Percy even like this alternative? Because it surely doesn't seem like he does."

"No, I like the plan," Percy stated calmly after swallowing his food. "I'm just... Not very used to Annabeth talking to me about this stuff."

"What  _stuff_?"

"Oh, Nico. I thought Percy was oblivious, but I guess he rubbed it off onto you or something." Annabeth rested her chin in the palm of her hand with a small, amused smile. "You'll find out soon enough. It's a surprise, so neither of us will tell you, you know."

"Perfect." I rolled my eyes. "Have I ever told you how much I hate surprises? I like having a certified plan in my life instead of some random action that will catch me off guard."

"I'm sure this alternative will be more worth it than the party. Just clear up your plans the day of your birthday and you'll be fine. Just as if there was going to be a birthday party that day," Annabeth said offhandedly.

I frowned worriedly. "Whatever you say. I'm trusting you guys on this."

Percy grinned. "I'm sure you'll like it."

"See? Percy says you'll like it, so I'm even more sure about this alternative now."

I nodded slowly. "I'm just going to pretend that I'm completely calm and on board with this idea."

Annabeth nodded. "You'll be extremely on board with the idea once your birthday comes around and you finally realize what the alternative is. Trust me on this one; it's better than the birthday party since you hate parties. Though, you definitely can't be lazy for this alternative either. Unless Percy wants to do all of the work."

" _Please_ stop talking about this. Annabeth, I know we dated at one point in our lives, but do you know how long ago that was?" Percy waved his hands wildly. "It was  _forever_ ago, that's what!"

She laughed lightly. "I get in, I get it." She glanced at me and-did she just wink at me?-before saying, "I have to go now, guys. I kind of left my date alone for a very long time."

"My god, are you on a date with Castellan?" Percy groaned. "That guy is complete trash."

"Jeez, you didn't have to sound so jealous about it," Annabeth teased.

"I am  _not_ jealous! I'm just angry about the fact that you decided to date the guy that used to beat up my boyfriend every day!"

"Technically, if he hadn't beaten up your boyfriend every day, then we would've never met him because Jason wouldn't have had to stop the fighting, right?" Annabeth stood up from our table. "Just think about that. I'll see you guys later."

We bid our farewells to Annabeth before she left the table and arrived back at another table where Luke Castellan was waiting for her. I had to agree with Percy on this one; I still kind of hated the guy, to be honest. But, if she was going to date him, then I wasn't going to stop her. After all, she was smart enough to decide this on her own anyway. It wasn't my place to intervene in her life either.

* * *

**Friday,**   **January 27**

* * *

"Happy birthday, Nico!"

Silena practically tackled me in a poor attempt to hug me. Honestly, was this even new?

"Silena," I chuckled, "my birthday isn't for another two days."

She released her tight grip on me, but her arms were still around my neck. "Yeah, I know-of course I'd know!" She pouted. "But I won't be seeing you on your  _actual_ birthday since you're not going to have a birthday and Percy and Annabeth refuse to let me hang out with you the day of your birthday! Maybe if it was a weekday I would see you since it's a school day and all, but that day is a Sunday!"

My lips tilted upward in amusement. "What did you want me to do? Apologize that I was born January 29th?"

"Yes!" Silena shouted. "I mean, obviously you chose to be born on the 29th," she sarcastically stated with that ridiculous smile of hers always there.

"Do you know what Percy and Annabeth planned for me for my birthday?" I furrowed my eyebrows. "No one is telling me anything."

"They didn't tell you?" Silena tilted her head to the side. Her lips curled upward in amusement. "He's bringing you to the orphanage to see that little girl-Zoë Nightshade, was it?"

"He's  _what?_ "

She laughed lightly. "I'm just kidding!"

I sighed. I swear my eye twitched in slight annoyance. "Where, exactly, did you come up with such a descriptive lie?"

Silena shrugged, her smile never fading. "Zoë Nightshade just sounds like a pretty cool name. And it seems like something Percy would do if he ever tried to take you on a date and ended up at some orphanage."

I chuckled. "Thanks for that image. Remind me never to agree on going on a date with Percy ever again."

"But you've been on dates with him before! It's not as if he's going to  _suddenly_ start taking you to orphanages now that I said it."

"Who's taking you  _where?"_

I glanced over my shoulder to find Percy and Annabeth. Annabeth couldn't seem to hide her smile after witnessing only a little bit of our strange conversation. Percy just looked outright confused.

"No one," I bluntly replied while Silena laughed loudly beside me. "No one is taking me nowhere."

Percy continued his expression of puzzlement. "All I heard was... orphanage? Was that what you guys were talking about?"

"I think Nico wants you to take him to an orphanage." Annabeth nodded proudly, a wide smirk adorning her features. "Isn't that right, Neeks?"

I scowled at her. "Gee,  _thanks_ for the clarification,  _Anni_ e." She shook her head at the nickname, but I could faintly hear her quiet chuckles. I turned to Percy afterward. "Also, don't ever take me to an orphanage for a date. Seriously-don't do it-Silena was joking."

Percy broke out into a wide grin. "I'll be sure to remember the next ideal location for our dates." He winked suggestively at me, yet I only groaned. I was  _really_ hoping he wasn't actually considering taking me to visit an orphanage as a date. What would we even do there? Play with the children? I hated children; I never knew how to deal with them, to be honest.

"Hey, happy birthday, Nico."

I raised an eyebrow at the new voice, turning my head to spot bright, blonde hair as bright as lightning and eyes as clear as a summer sky, yet as cold as the winter sky.

"Jason? Well, thanks, I guess." I offered him a small, grateful smile as he approached our group.

"Hey, Jason!" Percy greeted with a smile. "I haven't seen you around school very much anymore except for during football practice."

Jason shrugged. "Now that it's the second semester of school, I kind of told myself to study more for state testing."

"You didn't take them last year?" Annabeth questioned, bringing a finger to her temple. "Most people take them junior year."

He chuckled. "Funny thing is; I may or may not have pushed it all back until senior year."

"More like the  _end_ of senior year." Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Nico-don't repeat what Jason has inevitably done."

He smiled, laughing lightly. "It's only halfway through the senior year! I'm still good."

Annabeth smiled. "You better get super good test scores then to make it up to me."

"Can we not talk about tests anymore!" Silena complained, giggling soon after. "Sorry about that; I took those tests once, and I'm not looking back."

"Silena," Percy cut in, "I don't even think you  _studied_  for those tests."

She crossed her arms across her chest. "I took them once; I'm not looking back."

I cracked a smile. "I'll be sure to study for mine next year then."

Silena gasped exasperatedly. "I can't believe we won't be going to the same school after this year, Nico!"

"It's so weird to think about," Jason rubbed the back of his head. "We're all graduating this year."

"Please don't speak those words." Percy sighed. "I don't even want to think about it."

"You mean adulthood and growing up like every human being is forced to accomplish?" Annabeth scrunched her eyebrows together.

"Exactly."

"What about you though?" Silena asked me. Looking into her eyes made me see how much worry and strife she held inside of her for me. As far as I knew; she was still infatuated with me. I couldn't tell if her stress was mostly due because she worried about me as a friend or as something more.

I shrugged, shoving my hands into my jean pockets. "I think I'll be fine as far as I'm concerned. I mean, I only have two more years." I smiled wryly. "Hopefully it goes by fast. I'm tempted to drop out right now."

Percy chuckled, swinging an arm around my shoulders. "Trust me; it's so fast that you lose track of things sometimes."

"Like me and my state tests," Jason remakes with a laugh.

I scoffed. "Hopefully. Just hopefully."

And the school bell rang, interrupting any more chance of conversation.


	40. Epilogue Two

**Sunday, January 29**

**Nico do Angelo**

* * *

"Isn't the park closed? Like,  _right now_? It's literally midnight."

Percy waved his free hand dismissively, the other tightly grasping my own. "It's fine, it's fine. I mean, it's not like there are any guards here!"

I narrowed my eyes, giving into Percy's persistence. " _Guards_? This makes me feel like I'm in some medieval world. What is this park then? A forest?"

He scoffed. "Oh, yeah-I'm a knight escorting his prince on a grand quest to salvage the legendary lost sword from an evil witch trapped inside her tower. This is our first trial: The Battle of the Labyrinth, AKA, this forest. We've also been on different quests before, like, I don't know, I was accused of stealing a God's lightning bolt but turns out the real thief was one of my role models. Oh! What about us encountering a sea of monsters? Doesn't  _that_ sound fun?"

I stopped dead in my tracks, causing Percy to halt and turn over his shoulder to look at me with a questioning gaze.

"Percy."

"What?" He offered a nervous smile. It would've been easy to compare him to a guilty puppy, and damn it was he adorable or what.

"Why... was that so specific?"

Percy laughed loudly. " _That's_ why you made us stop? I thought it was something more serious, like how we actually did go on these quests."

"What?"

"I meant in my imagination,  _obviously_." Percy chuckled, his gorgeous grin never fading. "You know, why haven't I suggested this before? We could really act this out in a bedroom, you know. A knight and his prince, huh?"

I was so glad it was dark so he couldn't see how absolutely embarrassed I appeared before him. My face heated up almost immediately all the way up to my ears as if he just slapped a hand warmer across my face. Actually-that would've been nice. It's late January in New York, and I swear I could feel icicles forming on the surface of my skin. The snow crunched under my feet every time I took a step, and I was actually afraid of just falling through the snow at any given moment. The freezing gusts of wind didn't help with my situation. It was as if they were taunting me that I was outside in Greenland instead of in the comfort of my own home.

I instinctively turned my face away which also happened to be a dead giveaway of my reaction to Percy's unnecessary statement. That damned, cocky smirk can burn in a fire for all I care.

"You're blushing, aren't you?"

"I am most definitely not."

His warm fingertips touched my cold skin like graceful feathers landing in the grass on a beautiful spring day. Honestly, I had no idea how his fingers even had that effect on me, but all I knew was that I wanted to melt into his touch and forget about everything else in the world. I shut my eyes, gritting my teeth when my face was pulled up to-I'm assuming-face Percy's. I couldn't bear to see his shining green eyes right now; I'd probably die even more than I already have.

Why was Percy so perfect?

God, I was really hoping I didn't say that out loud. That was embarrassing to even think about.

"Open your eyes for me, Nico."

His soft, warm breath like shimmering sunlight against a wilting flower paired with his deep, enticing whispers was enough to send shivers down my spine-not like I was shivering already from being dragged out into the cold or anything.

I shook my head stubbornly, frowning at how dumb I was acting. I heard Percy's deep chuckle as he rested his forehead against mine, moving his delicate fingers to trace circles along my cheek. I swear I was acting upon instinct when I squeezed his hand tighter in my own.

"I want to get lost in your dark brown eyes, you know."

I managed to open my eyes, being greeted with glistening emerald diamonds that somehow (fortunately) became the color of Percy's eyes.

"You're so cheesy and cliché. Do you even realize this?" I rolled my eyes, attempting to ignore the splash of rose across my face.

A sincere smile became adorned by Percy's lips. "I know you like it."

I huffed in fake annoyance, tightening my grasp in Percy's hand. "I definitely do not."

He pecked a light kiss on my lips. It was long enough to show his deep affection for me, but definitely not enough for me to react. The only thing I could do was pout in response, earning another quiet chuckle from the person in front of me.

To my disappointment, Percy's body warmth dissipated once his forehead was removed from mine. He tugged on my hand to indicate that there was still more trekking through the snow to be done.

I rolled my eyes. "I really hate you for making me walk through this."

"I love you too, Nico."

I think I hated myself more for succumbing to Percy's words. The blush across my face never even disappeared. Not even once.

* * *

The light snowfall with its pale blue highlights along with the radiant moonlight made it look as if fairies danced through the freezing cold wind. They glittered and shined against the cascading glow of the moon, resulting in causing my whole surroundings to appear as if they were shining also. The falling snow felt like little kisses against my skin. Despite complaining to Percy about how cold it was before, I wouldn't admit to him that I was actually enjoying our trip to the park at midnight.

Bare tree branches stretched toward the sky, almost like they were asking to be free. Yet, they looked serene with their current situation as well. The moonlight cast their shadows against the snow piles everywhere along the ground of the park in awe-inspiring patterns. The scenery looked as if it were ripped from a fantasy book. Maybe Percy and I really were on some magical quest.

I cringed at myself. Why did I even think that?

There were only a few people around. Initially, I was surprised there were even people around in the first place, but then I realized. Was New York really ever asleep? There were people everywhere at any time. How New York was always bursting with life I hadn't the slightest idea, but then again, I  _was_ walking through the park at midnight. I'm blaming all of my actions at this very moment on Percy. Damn him and his perfect persuasions with his perfect lips.

I felt Percy stop in front of me. I ripped my gaze from the sky hiding stars underneath waves of pollution to gaze at what was ahead of me.

The place where we first met.

That one tree hidden in the corner of the park. It was here that my life made a complete U-turn. I didn't think my life was going to change at all, but life really is unpredictable.

Its leaves had been shed already to reveal its bare branches. I closed my eyes slowly, breathing deeply. It felt like just yesterday when Mr. Popular separated himself from his group of friends just to follow the music of my violin. It felt like just yesterday when he complimented me. Playing the violin hadn't been the same for me since then. All of the music I composed on the spot-I was usually using the deeper notes. But I think... I think I played much happier rhythms after that fateful meeting. Or was it just me overthinking?

I opened my eyes to be greeted with Percy smiling at me. Me and nothing else. Like I was the only thing that existed to him at that very moment. I swear, if I could draw I probably would've drawn that exact moment. It was embedded in my brain forever, and I most likely couldn't forget it even if I tried.

The moonlight tonight was just extremely stunning tonight or something. It was making everything it shone upon glow with the utmost radiance. As it cast down against Percy, it made his emerald eyes flicker with grace. The shadows on his skin perfectly defined his dazzling features. Though, his smile was the brightest of all. It gleamed brighter than the moonlight, brighter than any streetlight that was scattered across the park. Brighter than the shimmers of each and every water ripple in the park's fountains. Even if the stars were able to shine against the pollution in the air, Percy's smiles would've been even brighter.

His smile suddenly morphed into a confident smirk. "What are you staring at me for?"

Percy just  _had_ to break the moment, huh? Then again, was it even surprising?

I raised an eyebrow. "The question is: why did you let me stare at you for so long?"

The emerald eyes widened as a bright red blush settled upon his face. He rubbed the back of his neck, frowning as he turned away. "I just wanted you to admire me for as long as you wanted."

I squeezed his hand once more. "Sure, Percy. Keep telling yourself that."

He laughed lightly. "Stop teasing me."

"I'll stop when you stop."

"Do you really think I'll ever stop?"

I rolled my eyes, but I couldn't prevent the smile from spreading on my lips. I swear, his smile was contagious.

Percy huffed in amusement. "That's what I thought." He pulled on my hand. "Sit with me."

I grimaced at the thought of sitting on the snow-covered ground. Sure it  _looked_ nice, but it definitely wouldn't  _feel_ nice.

He shook his head as if reading my thoughts. "I'll give you special permission to sit in my lap."

"You're so stupid."

Tilting his head to the side, he flashed me a smile. "I'm  _your_ stupid."

I almost choked at his comment while Percy dragged me to the base of the tree and seated himself on the ground. "What does that even mean."

"Was that a question for me to answer?" He chuckled once more, wrapping his arms around my waist once I sat on his lap.

"Did it sound like a question?"

He pouted. "Not really, but can I answer it?"

"No."

Percy laughed loudly. "Well, isn't that kind of you."

I scoffed. "I'm the nicest person on the planet."

"Don't make me cry from laughing, Nico."

"Thanks for your confirmation."

"Of course. That's what I'm here for."

We continued to sit there in silence. The wind gently brushed through both of our hair as Percy bent forward to press his body against mine. He rested his chin against my shoulder, and suddenly, I didn't feel cold anymore. I could've sat here all day if I wanted to. I watched the snow shimmer against the gleams of the streetlights, and snowflakes soar through the air like fairies once more.

There wasn't anyone near us as far as I could see. Most of them were near the center of the park, reading on benches or sipping on hot coffee. Along the way, I noticed snow angels engraved on the ground, and snowmen who have endured the harsh winds-both evidence of children playing around in the park earlier in the day.

I smiled at the thought. I don't think I've ever made a snowman before. A successful snowman to be more precise. All of the ones I made when I was really young were failed attempts. I mean, how did people manage to roll snow into a giant ball, keep the snow packed together in place, and then stack another giant snowball on top of the first one. And to top it all off, you had to put the third one at the very top! Physics, please explain this phenomenon to me.

I didn't mind in the slightest when Percy broke the silence. It was soothing to my ears to listen to him speak while his chest vibrated against me with every syllable he pronounced. Was that creepy? Please don't call me creepy; I already know that that was pretty creepy.

"I was going to have you bring your violin so we could hear you play here like good old times, but I didn't want the snow to make your violin wet. Wouldn't that hurt your violin or something?"

I smiled softly. "Yeah, it'd ruin the delicate wood of the violin." I leaned into his embrace. "Thanks for taking that into consideration."

Percy shrugged, murmuring, "I didn't know if it was right or not, but I didn't want to risk ruining your violin. I love hearing you play, you know. Didn't want to ruin that."

I shook my head. "No, you were right. I can't believe you're already being smart about things by yourself."

He laughed at my remark. "Savage today, aren't we?"

"Payback for dragging me out here in this freezing cold weather."

"I'm not enough for you?" He tightened his embrace around my waist. I couldn't help but relaxing even further into his touch.

"Don't make me answer that."

" _Why not_?" Percy whined. He pressed his lips close to my ear. "I want to hear you say it, birthday boy."

I gulped at his close proximity. I hated how he had this effect on me, but at the same time, I loved it so much.

"Say-say what?"

"Tell me I'm more than enough for you." His warm breath sent more shivers down my spine, and I hated myself for sighing in contentment.

"You're..." I attempted to cover half of my brilliant rose face with my hand. "This is really embarrassing."

"We've done a lot more embarrassing things than this." He nudged me gently. "We've had sex in a public bathroom before and you're telling me this is embarrassing?"

"Shit, Percy, can you blame me? I was caught up in the moment all thanks to  _someone_."

"Who, exactly, was the one that grinded against me while sitting on me?"

I scoffed. "I don't know, Percy. Why don't you tell me?"

"You're really going to tell me that, huh?"

I grinned. "Why don't you tell me?"

"I'll tell you if you tell me what I wanted to hear earlier."

"That is  _definitely_ not a fair trade!" I shouted. "I already know who it was!"

Percy laughed in response. "Really? Who was it then?"

"Like I'd tell you something you already know!" I retorted, crossing my arms and heaving a heavy sigh.

He chuckled, and a short silence enveloped us once more. My arms slowly loosened their tight embrace around me as I muttered, "You're more than enough for me."

Percy lightly bit the skin underneath my ear, making me jump and, I swear, I probably screamed.

"I can't believe you actually said it." He spread soft kisses all along the side of my neck. I bit my lip to suppress a groan.

"Percy, do you realize where we are?" I managed to grunt. At this point, I could only keep one of my eyes open.

Percy hummed against my neck, feigning ignorance as he continued his relentless sucking.

My breathing became more ragged and uneven the more Percy continued. My hands shook violently, trying to grip at anything I could get my hands on as his embrace tightened around my waist. I couldn't help the quiet moan that escaped my lips. It wasn't until my hands brushed against the coldness of the snow beneath us that I realized what we were doing.

"Percy..."

I tried my best to fight him off-I really did! My moans increased in volume to my embarrassing dismay once Percy decided to rest one of his hands against my inner thigh. I gripped at the snow under my hand, and it was then that I found a nice idea.

It was totally worth it seeing Percy's face drenched with snow. His face of bewilderment was absolutely priceless. If I could draw, I totally would've drawn that too.

He glared at me, but he couldn't hide the fact that a giant smile was spreading across his face. He burst out into his contagious laughter, wiping snow away from his forehead.

"I will shove... so much snow underneath your shirt." He was forced to catch his breath from laughing so hard at himself. I even had to close my eyes from laughing so hard at him and with him.

In the corner of my eye, I found Percy grabbing a huge fistful of snow, and it was then that I was afraid for my life.

We probably stayed at the park for another two hours, and at the end of it all, I couldn't feel my fingers. But, I was okay with it; he never succeeded with shoving snow down my shirt anyway. I guess you could call me the victor, but Percy would never admit to that.


	41. Epilogue Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I probably should've put this first part before Epilogue 2. Blegh, I have terrible planning.
> 
> The last part of the epilogue is here! I'm sure you've all been waiting... really... long... for this... I do have one extra event that will happen after the epilogue though! It's got it's own chapter, so I guess this isn't the end?
> 
> WARNING: I promised there would be smut in the epilogue-here it is!

**Sunday, January 29 [before Epilogue 2-Park Scene]**

**Nico di Angelo**

* * *

"Mind telling me what we're doing for my birthday?"

"I swear, Nico, we just woke up." Percy chuckled, pecking my forehead lightly before sitting up in bed.

"Well, yeah, but I just wanted to know when this  _alternative_ is happening. Is it now? Is it even going to be today? Who even knows because it's a surprise!"

Percy rolled his eyes. "It's going to be at night if you must know."

At that, I knit my eyebrows together. "At  _night?_ Percy, you do realize we have school tomorrow, right? My birthday isn't on Saturday this time like last year, you know."

He rolled his eyes. "We'll be fine! Don't worry, just try and trust me, alright?"

It was my turn to roll my eyes, including a glare at the end of it. "Yeah, yeah. But if we're late tomorrow, I'm blaming you for it."

"We won't be late!" Percy chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "Maybe," he murmured quietly.

"What was that?" My glare never dissipated off the face of probably the hottest person on the surface of this Earth.

Don't ever tell him I even thought of that. This is just between you and me.

Percy laughed, showing the whites of his teeth as he waved wildly. "I said  _certainly_. We will  _certainly_  not be late."

I scowled. "Whatever you want to tell yourself, Percy."

He turned to me, setting himself back under the covers only so he could wrap his lean arms around my waist. He pulled me in closer, and even after being romantically and intimately involved with each other for so long, I still couldn't help but blush at out close proximity. It was an instinct for me to bow my face, hiding underneath my overgrown, dark bangs. I don't know if it was my body heat against Percy's warm body, but I felt heated everywhere. And, frankly, it was uncomfortable. But being in Percy's embrace, even with this horrendous light rose color splattered along my cheeks, made it all worth it.

"I know you'll like what I have planned, okay?"

He stroked my cheek with the palm of his hand, gently pulling my face up until my gaze landed upon his glittering and love-filled eyes.

I nodded slowly as Percy placed a soft kiss on my lips. It wasn't full of lust and need, but instead with so much passion that my fingers shook from how much Percy felt for me. I returned the kiss, hoping the same message was conveyed to him.

I ran my fingers through his soft, dark hair. It was dark like the serene forests full of mystery and surprises. It was dark like the unmoving waves of the ocean at midnight. It was dark like that night sky, sprayed with little specks of color and nightlights.

Did you know that during the summer, the sky was never black? It was usually a dark maroon mixed with subtle shades of purple and pink as if the sun never completely faded away. Or sometimes the sky would be a darkened hue of blue, indicating that the end of summer was returning to be replaced with the crunching of leaves, the burst of color all throughout nature, and the bare skeletons of trees.

Whenever you can, my only request to you as you listen to our story is to stare up at the sky. Wherever you are, I hope that one day, you get to appreciate and admire the different kinds of colors the sky offers to the world. Even if you can't see the moon, even if you can't see the stars, just scan the vast space above you with nothing but peaceful company. It doesn't have to be a physical person; it could be a book or a sketching notepad. Being alone with your thoughts away from the craziness of life is also one of its own gentle and unappreciated beauties. Sure, sunsets and sunrises always possess a tremendous display of tints and colors all around you, but summer nights demonstrate their own personal, softened beauty.

The soft, gentle colors, yet still bursting with life and fulfillment was what I felt as I shared a kiss with Percy. The kiss was so pure and slow, neither of us pushing or pressuring the other to move forward. We just appreciated each other's company, yet also sharing subtle moments of life and excitement behind the kiss.

We parted for air. Percy's lips were full and red, and I couldn't tear my eyes away from the enticing sight. I could feel his gaze scan along my features as we both panted for breath.

As I continued to catch my breath, I muttered, "If I end up liking what you have planned for my birthday, I'm going to thank Annabeth."

Percy pouted-quite adorably might I add. "Why her and not your  _actual_  boyfriend?"

"Isn't she the one that dragged you away to plan this elaborate surprise for me back when we were eating out a while ago?" I played with Percy's hair behind his head. It was just so addicting to run my fingers through his hair. It was like feeling the softest and silkiest feathers in the world.

He rolled his eyes with a scoff. "I mean, she suggested what I should do, but she never specifically told me where to take you and what to do and all of that."

"So, just a general idea?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, that." He chuckled, drawing circles along the skin of my waist. "That's what I meant."

I smiled. "I guess I'll have to thank you both then."

The taller one of us leaned closer and nuzzled my ear with his nose, causing my face to burn brighter if that was even possible at this point.

"Thanks, sexy."

I scoffed, but hiding the smile plastered on my face was futile. "You still call me that?"

His warm breath against my sensitive ear sent pleasure shooting up my spine. "Who else would I call that? You are much more deserving of that nickname than anyone that I know and will ever know."

I pushed our bodies closer until we pressed up against each other. Burying my face in the crook of his neck, I mumbled, "I should be thanking you, Percy, for planning all of this for me."

I could feel his chest vibrate with his deep chuckle. "I should be thanking you."

Moving my head, I face Percy with scrunched eyebrows. "For what?"

"For everything."

* * *

**Later that day, Sunday, January 29 [after Epilogue 2-Park Scene]**

**Nico di Angelo**

* * *

I definitely wasn't feeling my best when Percy and I finally returned home from the park. Well, physically, that is.

I was absolutely out of breath from running around in failed attempts at escaping Percy's harsh snowball throws. Was he competitive or what? From running around in the snow so much, I was also extremely tired. Trust me, sprinting for your life in piles of snow was not fun. And, because of the snow, I was somewhat wet (I would like to thank thick winter clothes for saving me from becoming completely soaking wet) and violently shivering from head to toe. I blamed Percy for my condition, but he seemed completely unaffected as he laughed it all off and took me back home.

Mentally, however, was a different story. Despite my dampened mood because I felt absolutely disgusting, I was mostly feeling extremely ecstatic; running around with Percy with fistfuls of snow on the palm of my hands and laughing like all of the world's problems were solved made me feel as free as the birds soaring through the air just because they can. Just because they want to.

At the moment, I felt like the king of the world. Although, being the king of the Underworld would be cool. I mean, imagine talking to skeletons and learning about their past and how their whole story ended. I don't know about you, but I would find that intriguing.

I closed the front door of Percy's home, removing the snow-covered boots from my feet and placing them on the rug adjacent to the front door so as to not get the wooden living room floor dirty. I felt the material of the snow boots just barely leave my fingers before I was pinned to the nearest wall. My eyes widened as they eventually landed upon Percy's emerald green eyes shining radiantly through the darkness of the household.

Eyes full with lust-the exact opposite of this morning-Percy remarked with a small smirk, "You owe me for shoving snow in my face right when I was getting to the good part."

I chuckled, flexing my wrist underneath Percy's grasp. "What good part?"

I could barely see Percy raising his eyebrows. "I was just about to get to that."

He leaned forward, lightly dragging his lips against the side of my neck. His warm breath alone was enough to make me lose my mind. My breath hitched as I felt his tongue slide on my skin. I bit my bottom lip to suppress a moan which Percy prevented by releasing one of my wrists and sinking his thumb into my mouth, soon followed by more of his fingers. I shut my eyes, shamefully panting against his skillful fingers and his expert lips as they sucked and licked to form a hickey upon my cold skin. I was no longer shivering as my body instantly heated up at Percy's intimate touches, but shaking morphed into one of need.

Soon enough, his fingers left my mouth, and his lips detached themselves from me so that he could test his forehead against my own. I was a panting mess underneath Percy, who released my other hand bounded to the wall and snaked his arms around my waist in order to pull me closer. His noticeable erection pressed against my body, and I couldn't help my mind being clouded with so many emotions.

"Weren't you just complaining to me about how wet and tired you were?" Percy whispered. He was also out of breath, but not as much as the receiver. "Because I'm going to make you even more wet and tired than you'll ever believe."

"You..." I covered half of my face with my hand. I was blushing so furiously and my brain was clouded with endless though that I couldn't even think of a proper retort. I was sincerely hoping it was dark enough so he wouldn't see me. I doubted it, according to the amount of bad luck I've got in my life.

He caressed my cheek, lightly shoving away my hand from my face. "You're so hot. Don't cover your face like that." He pecked my forehead, worsening the deep color on my face.

I couldn't even speak a single syllable; I felt as if I would just start moaning his name shamefully if I so much as parted my lips. Though, it didn't take long for me to part my lips as Percy attached his lips to mine, shoving his tongue deep into my mouth to explore the area that he was well-known with as if it were on the back of his hand.

If Percy hadn't wrapped his arms around my waist, I would've just fallen into his embrace and melted against him. God, why was he so  _good_  at this? His wet tongue rubbing against mine was way too much for my shaking body to endure.

He hoisted me upward, and I followed suit, wrapping my legs around him as his hands grabbed my ass. He pulled his mouth away only to attach it back onto my neck. His relentless sucking left me in a string of soft moans and heavy gasping. I buried my hands into Percy's hair, tugging and grasping wildly. He groaned against my neck, and his deep, husky voice sent waves and pleasure shooting throughout my body.

I gasped once more when my back hit the surface of a mattress. When did we even move? Was I that distracted by Percy? Damn him and his perfect lips.

I heard buttons and zippers being undone in front of me before Percy's hand landed on the zipper of the thick jacket I was wearing.

I narrowed my eyes, my ears heating up as he unzipped my jacket for me, planting kissed all along my face: My nose, my cheeks, my chin, and my forehead.

"I could undress myself just fine, thanks," I grumbled as I was pulled up and the jacket slid off my shoulders.

Percy chuckled deeply once more, slipping hid large hands underneath my shirt. "Maybe I just felt like undressing the Prince myself."

I rolled my eyes. "You want to roleplay  _now_?"

I couldn't believe that Percy was even laughing in this situation. He hummed, rubbing his hands on my stomach, his fingers gently brushed against my nipples occasionally before returning back to my stomach. "Not really, but I'll definitely be calling you as a Prince all the time now."

I laughed softly, my gasps increasing in volume once his fingers finally settled to squeeze and rub my nipples. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he lowered me into the bed. My legs were hanging off the edge of the bed as Percy towered over me.

"What happened to calling me sexy?" I actually managed to sound normal for once.

Percy kissed my temple, resting one of his forearms next to my head. "You'll be both. You're my one and only sexy prince."

I rolled my eyes as he planted another kiss against my temple. What other response was I even expecting? It was so like Percy to state such a thing.

With his other hand, he gently squeezed my hard nipple between his index finger and thumb. He rested his head in his other hand as he watched me squeeze my eyes shut and uncontrollably gasp and groan at his mere touch. Percy pressed his lips against mine forcefully, and my initial reaction was to moan against him.

The sound of our lips against each other's echoed in the air. His relentless teasing on my nipple finally ceased as he traced the area near my happy trail. My erection twitched excitedly, much to my embarrassment, at how close Percy's hand was to the one area I wanted him to focus all of his attention on.

I ran my fingers through his messy hair, tugging on it once he began to palm my erection through my pants. His lips separated from mine as he stood up to throw his shirt off, revealing the toned and leaned muscles he possessed underneath his clothes.

I reopened my eyelids, taking my time to admire the beautifully sculpted body in front of me. I swear his real father was a god or something because only a god could create an individual as perfect and stunning as Percy.

He tugged on the hem of my shirt, and I raised my arms to signal that he could continue. He pulled the article off, discarding it off into some place on the ground of the bedroom. Percy unbuttoned both of our jeans before rubbing his clothed manhood against my own.

I couldn't help but moan loudly along with Percy who let out a gasp at the contact. My hands flew back to Percy's hair, and my legs wrapped themselves around his waist. With his arms on either side of me, he continuously rubbed himself against me. The friction of our bodies, and especially against my lower half, made me absolutely lose my mind. Moan after moan escaped my lips, and my ears rang pleasantly from hearing Percy's moans as well.

I thrust against Percy at the same time he ground against me, and I gasped sharply from the action. I continued to meet my thrusts against Percy's, and I could feel his arms shaking with pleasure beside me. He groaned, shutting his eyes and resting his forehead against my chest. His thrusting never ceased, but I was sure my body was fine with that. My legs tightened around his waist as I felt pressure building up in my core.

"Percy," I gasped, tugging on his dark hair. "Percy, I'm-"

His humping halted, and my whole body sank into the mattress. My whole body was hot, and I was sweating like crazy. I untangled my fingers from Percy's hair, and my manhood throbbed from lack of release.

Percy panted, lifting his head from my chest to meet my eyes. His breathing was so heavy as he got up from towering over my body in order to seat himself on the edge of the bed next to me. He patted his leg, tilting his head to the side like a little puppy begging for food.

I scowled, but obliged. I couldn't even begin to describe how embarrassing it was as I voluntarily sat on top of Percy's noticeable erection. It throbbed underneath me, and I bit my lip to stop myself from moaning loudly at that simple movement. I knew Percy's emerald eyes were staring at my expression the whole time while I set my hands upon his broad shoulders; I couldn't even dare to meet his gaze.

"Look at me, Nico."

My breathing stopped momentarily when I heard him whisper my name in that husky, lust-filled voice of his. I slowly raised my head until my eyes fixed themselves upon his. Percy's genuine smile was evident in the dark.

His lips soon connected themselves to my collarbone. I grunted, my eyes fluttering shut and my grip on Percy's shoulders tightened. I felt Percy tugging at my jeans, and I slightly lifted myself up so he could pull my jeans and boxers down as much as possible.

I stood up and tugged the rest of the articles of clothing off my body before kicking them off somewhere. I could always find them later.

Resuming my position on Percy's lap, I tangled my fingers into his hair once more. My eyes slightly widened once I felt a few taps against my lips. I parted them and enveloped Percy's digits. With half-lidded eyes, I grinded against his clothed erection. He grunted as his free hand flew to grip onto my waist as I shifted myself up and down along his lap. My own erection cooled against the cold air now that it was revealed and no longer covered.

I heard a pop ring in my ears when Percy removed his fingers from my mouth. It made me so turned onto know that Percy's fingers were covered in my own saliva.

"You ready?" He questioned, his lust-filled eyes softening. I could tell he wasn't trying to pressure me even if we have done this probably a hundred times, but I still always appreciated his kind gesture.

I nodded, biting my bottom lip once I lowered myself onto two of his fingers. I hummed deeply, lifting myself up before burying his digits deep into me. I repeated this for a few times, never forgetting in the back of my mind how heated my face felt from having to take control of most of the situation now that Percy was underneath me.

My moan became really high-pitched when his fingers began to move inside of me. He imitated the scissoring motion at different angles. I squeezed my eyes shut once again, leaning forward from the amount of pleasure flowing through my body. I tugged on Percy's hair when he prodded that sweet spot inside of me. I moaned loudly against his ear, causing Percy to grunt and continue making me into a huge mess by rubbing that sweet spot inside of me multiple times. I couldn't even tell when he added a third finger because I was too busy moaning and gasping for air.

I couldn't help the whine when his fingers left me. I felt so empty inside, and Percy chuckled at my reaction.

Locking eyes with me, he muttered, "Why do you have to be so sexy?"

I grumbled, "It's not like I'm trying."

He smiled. "That's what makes it even better."

Percy pulled his erection from underneath his pants, and I felt the tip with pre-cum gently rub against my entrance. I gulped, mentally preparing before I slowly lowered myself until Percy was completely inside of me.

In the corner of my eye, I could faintly see Percy's arms shake with absolute desire and lust before being wrapped tightly around my waist. He buried his face into my chest, and I could feel his warm breath teasing my nipple.

I moved upward before slamming myself back down. I gasped sharply, pulling at Percy's hair. The latter groaned, thrusting his hips upward to time himself with me. I wasn't sure what was more tantalizing: Percy sucking and licking on my nipples or his hot breath making my nipples harder and harder.

My bangs stuck to my forehead as I rode him, the pace increasing the more time went by. My gasps and grunts morphed into loud moans along with Percy's. His shaking hands grasped my own erection which only made me increase my pace even more against Percy's manhood.

He rubbed my pre-cum everywhere along the tip, expertly working the shaft with fingers as his face was against my chest. Percy's eyelashes brushed against me as he shut his eyes, moaning at the everlasting pleasure rushing through him as well as me.

When Percy unconsciously moaned my name, it was enough to send me over the edge. I practically screamed his name as I emptied myself into Percy's hand, and as I felt myself tighten around Percy's manhood as I rode out my orgasm, I heard him groan my name once more before I felt shots of cum inside of me.

I collapsed against him once Percy's back fell onto the bed. I pushed my lower half up, feeling Percy leave my insides as his evidence dropped down from my entrance.

"At least..." I paused to catch my breath. "At least you closed the door this time."

Percy scrunched his eyebrows together before the realization dawned on him and he laughed lightly-as much as the lack of breath in his lungs would allow him. "We did have sex on your birthday last year too, huh?"

I chuckled. "It was my first time. First of many I guess."

He laughed. "Let me remind you that I didn't even close the door when we came home today. It was all on you."

I blinked at him before rolling my eyes. "You should really learn to close doors."

Percy grinned. "Maybe that'll also be part of your birthday present." He pecked another kiss onto my lips. "Happy birthday, Nico. I love you."

"I love you too."

* * *

_**Fin.** _


	42. Event Fourteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Event Fourteen  
> GSA (Gay Sex Advice-not the Gay-Straight Alliance)  
> From: Loving_Healer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How did Percy find out how to have sex with guys? It's one secret that I've never revealed specifically in the story, so I decided to put it in an extra chapter!
> 
> I've loved talking to everyone who's read the two violin books! I hope I'll see you in my next book: Against It. If not, then thank you so much for following Nico's and Percy's terribly written story HAHA. Hope you enjoy my very, very last chapter (I sWEAR it's the last one!)
> 
> (In case you were wondering, the other events [Events 1 through 13] were in the first Violin book.)
> 
> NOTE: These events took place before The Violin That Started it Again. These events happened a few days before Nico's birthday in the last novel.

**Percy Jackson**

* * *

I couldn't  _believe_ what I was doing.

But, I mean, I couldn't do  _it_ unless I looked it up somewhere, right? It's not every day I get taught how to properly have sex with a person of the same gender. When my mom gave me the infamous "talk," she and I certainly weren't expecting me to end up gay.

I swear I had more tabs open on my computer than I ever had when I was taking Spanish as my second language as a requirement for school. I swear I was pretty sure I had at least 6 tabs opened on my internet browser, and they were all Google Translate when I was in Spanish. Now try to imagine even more tabs open, except they were all about a certain subject that I didn't feel like reinstating anymore.

At this point, it felt as if my face were about to burn off. Actually, it would've been considered lucky if it did after everything that I just witnessed.

My dominant hand, unfortunately, possessed the luxury of scrolling through and reading each and every tab while my other hand had the job of covering my eyes in case something bad popped out from my laptop screen.

And let me tell you, it happened  _a lot_.

I  _really_  wasn't prepared for this. I mean, thinking back on the research I did now didn't seem all that bad. I mean, if I wanted to have sex with Nico then I would have to have some sort of knowledge beforehand, right? But during the heat of the moment, while I scrolled through every single tab on my laptop, I  _definitely_  didn't feel all that great. But then again, not researching anything about the subject matter would've been worse. It would've become a game of "How badly can I physically hurt Nico?". And I definitely didn't want that at all.

So there I was, bearing through what I would like to call the most embarrassing moment of my life. You know how everyone says that your life flashes before your eyes before your life dwindles away? Yeah, well, I didn't want to live through this moment again. But because I've kept how I figured out how to have gay sex a secret from everyone, I guess I should reveal how I knew to you guys, right?

You're welcome.

My mom wasn't home during that time; she was out at her job at the candy shop a few blocks away from our home. Football practice also ended up being short, and Nico was at the library again. Also, I was pretty sure the last time I saw Tyson, he was playing video games in his room. So, I took the initiative to do a bit of research instead of doing my homework.

Now that I was this deep in the research, I was debating on whether the research would've been more enjoyable or the homework. But, I have to say, reading about gay sex was always better than my calculus homework.

I didn't want to begin to describe what I read only because I would die from embarrassment. But, I did find a lot of useful information that would become really helpful when the time came. I wasn't sure when exactly I would initiate sex with Nico, but if the moment ever came, I wanted to make sure that I was ready.

Even though there was no one in the house, I felt the need to cover up the blush spreading all the way to my ears. Once I endured through this, I'll never have to do it again. It was the only thing that kept me going, but I almost dropped my laptop off the bed when I heard my mom call my name.

My eyes immediately darted to the nearest clock. It was already eight at night. How long was I staring at my laptop screen?

I checked my phone, and I guess I didn't hear my phone go off when a message from Nico told me that he would be leaving the library late. Apparently, someone made a huge mess of the shelves and switched all of the books around, so Nico was forced to clean up the mess.

"Percy, are you home?"

I heard my mom call again from the front door, and I yelled back that I was in my room. The excessive heat in my face hadn't dissipated in the slightest, and I didn't feel like facing my mom during all of this.

I could barely hear movement in the living room from whatever my mom was doing, but I attempted to ignore it to continue with my research. Assigning it the name "research" made it appear to be some extremely important and confidential information, but at this point, everyone knew that it wasn't the case at all.

My gaze eventually found the clock hanging near the top of my bedroom wall. I returned home after the short session of practice for football at around four. I sighed exasperatedly, closing my laptop and rubbing my temples. I couldn't believe I was just researching for a time that may never even arrive for four hours straight. Never in my life have I been so committed to looking for information for so long. I didn't even do my homework in such a long amount of time; I usually gave myself breaks in between assignments.

I would've blamed this on Nico's effect on me, but it was really just me making sure I didn't screw everything over with Nico. After everything the guy has endured, I didn't want him to get hurt anymore. I just wanted him to live the rest of his life with a happy smile on his face.

I would never be able to forgive anyone that hurt Nico. Even if it was me.

I was jolted out of my thoughts when I gentle knock came upon my open door. There stood my mom with an amused smile on her face.

"What are you doing just sitting there staring at the wall?"

I chuckled nervously, my face heating up more. "Nothing. I just got off my laptop is all. I guess I just zoned out or something."

She rose her eyebrows. "So, what were you thinking about to make your face so red?"

I frowned, beginning a rant about how she always loved to tease me at any given moment and I would never be able to lower my guard when I was around her. It was all a joke though, and I was glad my mom laughed at it.

She strode through the open entrance, sitting on the edge of my bed and turning her body toward me. "So? You never answered my question."

I didn't think it was possible for my face to heat up even more. "Do I  _have_  to tell you?" I grumbled under my breath.

She laughed lightly. "Of course you don't have to; only if you want to. I've told you this many times, Percy, but if you need anything, I'm here for you, okay?"

I nodded in response. I glanced at my laptop before sliding it over to her. "Open it."

I wasn't exactly sure why I felt the need to show her. But, I trusted my mom enough to let her know. After I covered my face with the nearest pillow that I could reach.

I couldn't hear anything from my mom-everything was muffled under the pillow that I was currently hiding under. I wasn't even sure if my mom even opened my laptop or not. I couldn't find a single clue until I felt a gentle pat on my leg.

Did she open my laptop? Did she not? This was like a whole other version of the "He loves me, he loves me not" while picking petals off of a dead flower.

I slowly lifted the pillow off of my face, scowling at absolutely nothing. For some reason, I was afraid of what my mom would say even though I already knew she wouldn't scold me for something like this. I mean, could you really yell at me for researching a topic you possess no knowledge about?

She offered me a small smile, patting my leg again to regain my attention from my thoughts.

"So this is what you were thinking about, huh?"

She said it so thoughtfully I couldn't tell if it was a good thing or a bad thing.

I continued on with my silence. I wasn't sure what else to say nor did I know how to respond to her statement. It sounded more as if she were talking to herself.

After gazing at the wall ahead of her for a little while, she finally switched it over to lock eyes with mine.

"You do realize what this means, don't you? You can't just have sex just because you want to. If you really-"

"I know, Mom." I smiled softly. "I really, really do like him. I know my feelings for him are way up here." I held my hand above me as high as I could stretch my arm. "Don't worry about me; I just... wanted you to know instead of giving you a heart attack when the time arrives."

She chuckled. "I certainly would hate that. I know Tyson would ask you all of these questions."

My face began to burn again. "Please help me with Tyson if that time ever comes around."

"Maybe I will, maybe I won't." She shrugged. "You'd appear to be a lot more mature toward your little brother if you did the explaining."

I only whined, explaining that growing up truly was unfortunate, causing my mom to laugh at my outbursts.

"I'm not stopping you on this because I trust you know what you're doing, alright?" She ran her hands through my dark hair. "You better treat Nico well. I view him as a son now that he's been living here for quite some time."

"Are you telling me that you're okay with your two sons having sex then?"

She rolled her eyes, withdrawing her fingers from my hand. "Did you want me to be against it?"

I shifted my gaze to the wall adjacent to me. "No, not at all. Continue exactly what you were doing, Mom."

My mom shook her head, standing up from my bed and putting her hands on her hips. "That's what I thought, Percy." Her eyes roamed my bedroom until it eventually landed in my backpack that I had clumsily thrown onto the floor the moment I saw my bed. "Have you even started your homework?"

I followed her gaze until it landed on my upside down backpack. I stared back up at her with a gaze that meant  _Do you really have to ask me that?_

My mom rolled her eyes once more. "Go finish your homework, you could research more later if you have to. Or, I could actually tell you a few things."

I was about to respond that, yeah, I'll do my homework soon, until my ears caught upon the last part of her statements. "Wait," I sputtered, " _what_?"

"What?"

" _What_  did you just offer to me?"

She blinked blankly at me for a few moments, trying to remember what exactly she said that was so weird before laughing loudly, the wrinkles on her face from the smiles she made in life were prominent.

"I know a thing or two about what you're looking up on that laptop of yours." She leaned against my desk propped against the wall near the entrance to my bedroom.

I stared at her with wide eyes. Where did my actual mom go? Was she offering me gay sex advice?

"Why do you know so much about this?"

She shrugged. "A lot of things happen in college, Percy. A lot of my friends liked to... experiment while they were young, I guess."

I frowned. "College sounds..." I trailed off before chuckling. "Interesting."

My mom smiled. "It really is. Just make sure that every time before you want to have sex with Nico, you have to-"

I shoved the same pillow back onto my face, trying to muffle any of the words my mom spoke to me. I didn't think this would ever happen: My mom talking about gay sex. I could only catch a few words, but I really didn't want to think about them at all. But, if she continued her relentless advice, my face probably will burn the pillow.

The one sound I could clearly hear behind the pillow was my mom's laughter from her excessive teasing. Well, gee, thanks, Mom.

I felt a tug on my pillow before it was stolen from my grasps. I looked up, expecting to meet the light brown eyes of my mom only to be met with dark colored eyes that reminded me of the night.

"Nico?!"

" _What_  are you doing?" He sighed, switching his gaze between my mom and me. After studying the expressions of my mom trying her best to hide her mischievous grin and me attempting to hide my raging blush, he sighed exasperatedly once more. "You know what, I don't think I want to know."

He sat at the edge of my bed next to me, picking up my laptop and setting it on his lap. "Are you actually doing your homework on your laptop this time instead of trying everything on your phone?"

You should've seen how fast I moved when I saw Nico's fingers start to lift my laptop screen up to open it. I swear I could become the next Barry Allen if I was smart enough. I was so glad my mom closed it after checking to see what tabs I had opened.

I slammed my palm against my laptop, shutting it loudly. I frowned when I heard my mom laughing before leaving the two of us alone.

"I'm... not ready to show you what I'm working on, alright?" I chuckled nervously before taking my laptop from him and shoving it far underneath my bed as much as possible.

Nico's head was tilted to the side with furrowed eyebrows. "Whatever you say, Percy."

He laid his back against my mattress, telling me how tiring it was at the library that day. It was nice just listening to Nico talk. We weren't holding each other or doing anything considered "romantic," but I was still perfectly satisfied with just being in Nico's presence.

He suddenly trailed off in his sentence, and I found it so adorable that he just fell asleep in the middle of his train of thought.

As quietly as I could, I reached under my bed to unveil my laptop once more. Opening it up, I exited out every single tab that was open.

I wasn't sure if I would ever be able to use the information that I learned in the four hours of research, but hopefully, it would come to use one day.


End file.
